A Different Kind of Monster
by superhackaninja5
Summary: post s5 AU. Enzo is the one to bring Damon back from the dead-but the Damon he resurrects isn't the same one who died.
1. Chapter 1

Leaning his head back against the suede head rest, the former Augustine vampire scrutinized the building looming outside his side window carefully. He'd been summoned here by some unknown entity who'd told him they could help bring Damon back from the dead.

Of course, Enzo had been sceptical. It had already been three months since Damon had died-three months since Enzo had lost his only friend. He'd been searching tirelessly all that time for a way to get Damon back ever since, but he hadn't found anything. So, when a text from a blocked number had shown up on his cellphone, saying they had the way to get him what he wanted, he had suspected some sort of set up.

However, he'd made the decision to show up, regardless. He didn't want to throw away the chance that whoever had texted him might actually be telling the truth. Getting Damon back was worth risking his own life for.

He just hoped this wasn't another dead end.

Enzo took a deep breath, using his preternatural sight to scope out the place, taking careful note of its winding, spiral-like towers and its dark, grey colour. It looked like a medieval ruin of some sort, which gave Enzo pause. He didn't know there was any place like this in Virginia.

Shrugging mentally, he threw caution to the wind and got out of the car, setting the alarm behind him. After hearing it beep, he headed straight for the seemingly derelict property; it was time to find out exactly what he was doing here.

The rain hit him like a shower of shattered glass. Luckily, he was parked literally right in front of the building's entrance-and, strangely, the front door was wide open.

He entered, feeling a faint sense of trepidation. There were no lights on inside, but he could still see perfectly-and what he saw was like nothing he'd ever seen before.

The walls were polished stone, curving around to match the twisting halls, and carved into the stone were strings of words in what Enzo recognized as Latin. Beneath his feet was a long satin carpet that extended all the way to the end of the corridor.

The thing that most intrigued Enzo, however, were the candles; unlit, they hovered a few meters above his head, suspended in the air as if by an invisible thread-but there was no thread.

Enzo crossed the hall slowly, unable to stop himself from glancing at every inch of his surroundings. It was rare that he saw something that could captivate him like this; being a vampire, he'd started to think he'd seen everything. It was both heartening and unsettling to know that that wasn't the truth.

At the end of the hall, Enzo came to a single room that _was_ illuminated-by acid green flames that were crackling in the marble fireplace at the far side. In the center of the room, there was a burgundy velvet armchair, and in it sat a woman.

When Enzo walked into the room, the woman stood from her chair and stepped into the fire light, so her face was thrown into sharp relief. She had pale, slightly freckled skin and piercing blue-gray eyes. Dark hair fell in curtains that ended just past her shoulders, and, pushed back the way it was, showed the glimmering amulet that hung from a silver chain around her neck.

As Enzo took in her features, he was surprised to find that he recognized her.

"Do I know you?" he queried by way of a greeting, forehead creasing as he tried to place why the woman seemed familiar.

She put the pieces together for him.

"I've seen you with Alaric Saltzman-he and I are seeing each other," she explained with a small smile. "My name is Josette Laughlin. You can call me Jo."

The vampire's frown deepened a fraction.

"Are you the one who contacted me?" he queried shrewdly, arching one of his dark brown eyebrows as he looked her over.

Jo inclined her head in an affirmative.

"I am," she confirmed without hesitation. "I know about what happened to your friend, Damon; I'm a witch, and I have the power to bring him back."

Far from pleasing Enzo, that revelation only confused him.

"If you know about what happened to Damon, then you know that he's a vampire. Most witches I've met have hated vampires. Why would you want to help bring him back to life?" he retorted, folding his arms across his chest.

Jo lifted one of her shoulders in a shrug.

"Most witches do hate your kind," she admitted. "But not me-or my coven.

The vampire's other eyebrow rose to join the first.

"Your coven?" he repeated dubiously. He had a strange feeling that he knew where this conversation was headed.

And he was right.

"The Gemini coven," Jo replied, just as he'd suspected she would, an enigmatic gleam in her crystal blue eyes. "We have a long history of working with vampires, and it just so happens that your friend Damon is someone we are very interested in working with."

Enzo wasn't entirely sure what to think about that; he knew Damon wouldn't be keen on working with a coven he knew nothing about-and Enzo wasn't keen on being used by witches or anyone else.

"You know I can't promise he'll want to work with you, even if you help me resurrect him," the vampire stated flatly. "And if you're thinking of somehow magically altering his mind so he will…" He let the sentence dangle with an unspoken threat. He wasn't going to allow his friend to be manipulated.

Jo held up her palms in a gesture of surrender.

"Just having him back in the world will be enough for us. We aren't the type to manipulate or try to control our allies," she defended truthfully.

She paused, making sure Enzo could see that she was being completely honest with him before finishing. "I don't want anything from you, Lorenzo-except to help you get your friend back."

"You'll forgive me if I don't take your words at face value," Enzo shot back, cynicism and disbelief evident in his heavily accented voice. "I've been screwed over more than enough times to know that a favour like this never comes without a catch."

The witch shrugged for a second time.

"Like I said, my coven wants Damon Salvatore back from oblivion just as much as you do. So, it's a mutually beneficial thing. All I want from you is your help with completing the ritual."

There was a brief silence while Enzo stared her down, searching her porcelain-skinned visage for any traces of deception, any reason why he shouldn't trust this woman. He wanted to be absolutely certain before he committed to anything; after all, it wasn't just himself he was putting on the line here.

When he found only sincerity in Jo's unwavering gaze, he took a deep breath and finally broke the silence.

"You have it, then," he relented. "What do I have to do?"

By way of a response, the witch snapped her fingers, and one of the leather-bound books on the shelf above the fireplace flew into her hand, falling open to a page about a quarter of the way through.

"Bringing someone back from oblivion isn't the same as bringing them back from the other side when they're a supernatural being," she declared matter-of-factly, tracing a finger along the lines of the page; she paused again before elaborating, "The most important thing is to have sacred ground and the blood of someone with a strong connection to who you want to resurrect."

"Sacred ground?" Enzo repeated curiously; that was definitely an ironic thing to need for a spell like this.

Appearing to share his thoughts, Jo huffed out a quiet laugh.

"Yes," she said. "A church, to be more specific-and ideally, one close to where your friend died. And the other item we need would be the blood of Stefan Salvatore."

Enzo's frown returned. Getting to a church near where Damon had died would be rather difficult, considering that Mystic Falls was currently a no-vampire zone-and witchcraft wouldn't worth there, either.

He was about to say as much, but Jo seemed to reading mind because she offered a solution before he'd even told her the problem.

"I know that getting inside the town where he died is currently impossible for people like us; so, we don't need to use a church in the immediate vicinity-just one as close as we can get," she suggested. "But I'm assuming the other item won't be a problem?"

Enzo didn't even need to think about it before shaking his head.

"No. Stefan Salvatore will give me his blood. He wants Damon back just as much as I do," he affirmed without hesitation. "I just have to make a call in order to find out where he is."

Jo looked at him for a long time without speaking, almost as if she were assessing him. Then, finally, she seemed satisfied because her smile widened.

"You do that and I'll take care of finding the church. I'll let you know when I've found it and you can meet me when you have what we need. Deal?" the dark-haired witch asked him.

The vampire bit the inside of his cheek.

"Deal," he agreed after a beat, deciding that, although he was taking a big risk by trusting this woman he hardly knew, it was worth it if he could see Damon again. He _would_ get Damon back-no matter what it took.

As he turned to make his exit, he pulled his phone out of the back pocket of his jeans and pressed the number 2 on his speed dial before raising the device up to his ear.

"Ric," he said when the line was picked up. "You can tell Stefan to stop his search. I found our solution and it requires his help."

There was a brief silence on the other end of the line before Alaric replied.

" _Yeah, about that…I don't know actually know where Stefan is. He's stopped answering all of our calls and texts."_

Enzo stopped in his tracks. "What do you mean?" he shot back, not liking Alaric's tone.

He heard the other man sigh.

" _I mean, he's not where we all thought he was, which means I don't think he's searching for a way to bring Damon back anymore,_ " Alaric elaborated helplessly.

"Then, what the hell _is_ he doing?" Enzo spit furiously, his free hand curling into a fist at his side.

" _I don't know_ ," Alaric replied honestly. " _I've been feeding him leads for the last few weeks, leaving them on his voicemail and thinking that he was following them, but I don't think he is._ "

Enzo had to force himself not to growl at that news.

"I'll find him," he promised before hanging up and turning back to Jo. "Well, it looks like I'm going to be needing a little more assistance than we originally thought."

Jo held up a hand, waving it dismissively.

"I thought you might-and I came prepared," she pulled a map out of her coat pocket and unfolded it so he could have a look. "I did a locator spell on Stefan before I contacted you, and he's in Savannah."

Enzo took the map from her outstretched hands and examined it closely. He knew what a locator spell looked like and the piece of parchment bore the unmistakeable signs of one.

He exhaled heavily.

"I'll get his blood-and some answers," he declared softly, stuffing the map into his jacket. "Thank you," he called to Jo over his shoulder before walking out of the room without another word.

He left the building in a huff, lips compressing into a thin line. He couldn't believe that Stefan wasn't looking for Damon-he was Damon's brother, and everyone was counting on him.

Enzo let out a snort. Maybe it was time that he found out just how much Stefan was disappointing all his friends this time.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Stefan stared out the window of his home while he waited for the pot of water he'd put on the stove to start boiling. He was making dinner for himself and his new girlfriend, Ivy-but his heart wasn't really in it. His heart hadn't really been in anything he'd been doing during the last three months.

Those first few weeks after losing Damon, he'd struggled to try and find a way to bring him back. He'd followed every lead Alaric had given him, but they'd all come to no avail. No matter what avenue he'd searched, he always found the same thing: nothing.

Eventually, he'd had to cut himself off from Alaric, and everyone else from his old life, because talking to them only reminded him of what he had lost. Damon had been his big brother-and now he was gone. And instead of clinging on to some empty hope of bringing him back, Stefan had decided to start over.

He'd gotten a job, and bought a house. He was seeing someone new. He should have been happy. But it was all a lie-just a desperate attempt to move on, to bury the all-consuming grief he felt at losing the only family he'd had left.

He sighed, turning away from the window and returning to his cooking. This was part of his effort to move on: doing mundane things like cooking dinner, trying to act like a human and not a vampire.

A little while later, though, he was interrupted by the sound of Ivy calling to him from the front hallway.

Lowering the heat on the stove, he rushed out of the kitchen to greet her, pasting a smile on his face. "Hey," he said in a forcibly welcoming tone. "You're a little early."

"Yeah, well, I ran into someone on my way here. He said he was a friend of yours and that he needed to see you right away," Ivy replied with a slight frown, stepping aside and holding the door open to admit her companion.

The last person Stefan expected to see walk through that door was Enzo-but that was exactly who came striding in after Ivy, arms spread in a gesture of exaggerated excitement.

"Stefan!" the British-Irish vampire crowed loudly in a tone of feigned camaraderie. "You are a hard man to track down! I wasn't sure if your new friend here would invite me in-but she said this was your place, which means open invitation for all your mates, right?"

He grinned, not seeming at all fazed by the fact that Stefan was glaring daggers at him. His focus was more on the fact that the other Salvatore was shacked up with some random tart instead of searching for his brother like everyone thought he was. That raised his ire exponentially; it would be one thing if Stefan had been alone and grieving, but he wasn't. He was playing human again.

 _Well_ , Enzo thought vindictively as he returned the younger Salvatore's distasteful gaze without flinching. _I'll just have to put an end to that charade_.

Knowing it would irritate Stefan even further, he made a beeline for the kitchen before the other vampire could say a word.

"Got any bourbon?" he asked cheekily as he passed Stefan, rubbing his hands together.

He sensed that Stefan probably wanted to stop him and demand to know what he was doing there-but, unfortunately for Stefan, Ivy was still standing in the room. Enzo knew she would probably be looking at Stefan with confusion and Stefan wouldn't want to alarm her by revealing that they were just about the furthest thing from friends.

Enzo couldn't stop his grin from widening at that thought as he entered the kitchen and began making a show of rooting through the cupboards. He knew Stefan would hear him and he knew that the younger Salvatore would be even less pleased about it.

So, he wasn't at all surprised when a hand fell on his shoulder and wrenched him around forcefully to meet Stefan's clearly fuming gaze.

"What the hell are you doing here?" the younger Salvatore hissed at Enzo in an undertone, eyeing the entrance to the other room, no doubt making sure that his girlfriend wouldn't overhear.

Enzo's grin turned into a fully-fledged smirk at Stefan's less-than-pleased expression.

"Now, Stefan, is that any way to talk to a friend?" he mock chided, shaking his head disparagingly. Letting out a cold chuckle, he added, "By the way, that's a great-looking girl you've got there. I can see why you've been with her, instead of searching for a way to bring your only brother back from the dead."

He saw Stefan's eyes darken at his words, but Ivy entered before he could make any kind of retort.

"So, Enzo," Ivy addressed the dark-haired vampire with obviously forced cheerfulness. "How do you know Stefan? He's never mentioned you before."

Enzo quickly altered his smirk into a winning smile.

"Oh, he probably didn't want to brag," he dismissed her last statement, throwing an arm around Stefan's shoulders in a brotherly manner, unconcerned when he felt Stefan tense. "But Stefan and I go way back. In fact, he invited me up here for dinner tonight; but obviously, he forgot to tell you. Do you mind? I'm starving."

Before Stefan could say anything to debunk his claims, Ivy nodded, smiling. "Of course not, if Stefan invited you. The more the merrier," she consented, turning to her boyfriend.

Stefan knew he was trapped as Enzo made his way over to the dining room table and planted himself in one of the wicker chairs. He couldn't kick Enzo out now, or else Ivy would start asking questions he didn't really want to answer-so he had no choice but to play Enzo's game.

"Yeah, sorry I didn't tell you. I must have forgotten," he apologized, still with that same forced smile on his face. "I'll go get the plates."

Enzo shot Stefan's retreating back a withering glance, then turned back to Ivy, swinging his boots up onto the chair next to him. The human girl was putting on a good front, but Enzo could tell that she was suspicious of his presence-and, moreover, of Stefan's connection to him, and that amused him. So, the girl wasn't an idiot-which begged the question of why she was dating Stefan when it was obvious she didn't know very much about him.

Well, maybe this dinner would help him figure it out.

Enzo watched Stefan coolly out of the corner of his eye while he ate, gaze following the other vampire as Stefan carried another bowl over to the dining room table. He could see how tense his presence was making the younger Salvatore-and, to be quite honest, he was enjoying seeing Stefan squirm. He didn't deserve to be relaxed-not with everything that had happened- and Enzo didn't intend to make things any better for him.

"Good stuff, mate," he commented sardonically as Stefan sat down beside him, glaring at him with narrowed eyes.

The Salvatore forced himself not to snap; he knew the compliment wasn't a real one, but, conscious of Ivy's presence, he acted like it was, acknowledging it with a slight nod.

"So, you didn't answer my question from earlier, Enzo: how do you know Stefan?" Ivy cut in curiously. Stefan had to force himself not to flinch at that; he dreaded what Enzo would tell her. The truth wasn't exactly something he wanted to hear-especially if Enzo was the one telling it.

Enzo could tell that Stefan didn't want him to answer Ivy's question-or at least, not honestly. Luckily for Stefan, Enzo didn't want to scare her off quite yet, so he answered with only a vague version of the truth.

"Well, we actually met through Stefan's older brother, Damon. We weren't too fond of each other at first, but, after a while, we became the best of friends. I even helped him through his recent breakup," Enzo said with false cheeriness. "I had no idea that he'd met someone new already. How did _you_ _two_ meet?"

He heard Stefan sigh and saw how uncomfortable the younger Salvatore was with the topic. _Good_ , he thought viciously, staring holes into Stefan's face, making it clear that he expected an answer.

Stefan exhaled heavily and steeled himself to reply in as calm a tone as he could muster.

"Ivy's car was in the shop," he started, reluctant to give the whole story; but, knowing it would probably come out, anyway, he finished, "Where I work."

The smile on Enzo's lips turned faintly mocking.

"Oh, you're working in an auto repair shop now?" he quipped, eyebrows lifting at that news. So, not only had Stefan gotten himself a new girlfriend, but a job as well. And, while everyone had thought he'd been searching for a way to bring Damon and the witch back, he'd been messing with other people's cars. Enzo had to force himself not to ram his fork into Stefan's eye; he couldn't believe this.

Apparently oblivious to Enzo's anger, but sensing the other vampire's incredulity, he said, "It's relaxing."

A derisive chuckle spilled out of Enzo's mouth at that, and he lowered his chin, trying to muffle it. His amusement only grew, though, when Stefan's girlfriend asked in a predictably clueless manner, "Why, what did you used to do?"

"Oh, a man of all seasons, jack of all trades," Enzo piped up before Stefan could open his mouth, pretending to be enthusiastic. Then, getting tired of the false domesticity, he decided to give Ivy a clue, and, with his gaze back on her, added, "Oh, you have a lovely clavicle, by the way."

"Oh, thank you-I think," Ivy responded with a mix of surprise and gratitude, sweeping her hair back a bit uncomfortably at the strange comment.

Enzo couldn't hide his mirth at her obvious confusion at the strange observation, and he knew pushing the boundaries on this line of conversation would seriously piss Stefan off-which was why he did exactly that.

"Forgive me, I always notice a woman's neck. I'm a neck person." He turned to the vampire beside him, eyes gleaming. "So is Stefan, right, Stefan?"

"Not anymore," Stefan denied the comment quickly, barely even looking at him; unfortunately, that only served to spur Enzo on more.

"Well, that's silly. You can't just stop being a neck person," he commented, as if the prospect were ridiculous. And honestly, to him, the way Stefan denied his vampiric nature _was_ ridiculous-which was really where he was going with this.

He had to suppress a laugh when Stefan practically jumped out of his seat, saying, "Who wants more wine?!" and then heard him mutter, "I know I do." He knew he was getting under Stefan's skin, and he liked it. He definitely wasn't going to stop-not just yet.

"I heard that, Stefan," he called out. Then, turning back to Ivy, he added, "I have supersensitive hearing, practically supernatural. Do you believe in the supernatural, Ivy?"

Ivy wasn't immediately forthcoming with an answer, appearing to have to think about it. "Uh…I never really thought about it," she said non-committally, lifting of her shoulders in a shrug.

Enzo nodded.

"Well, I myself, I'm a believer," he declared. "Had to get a witch to do a locator spell to find my buddy here."

He saw Stefan freeze at that and felt an immense sense of vindication. Ivy seemed content to just laught it off, but Stefan was definitely on alert-even as he continued going through the motions of uncorking another bottle of wine.

"So, Stefan," Enzo called over to him, deciding to change the subject a little. "Tell me. This house, very charming. When did you get it?"

Still not looking at him, focusing instead on pouring himself another glass of wine, Stefan responded in a casual tone. "About a month or so ago." That wasn't exactly right, but he didn't want to tell Enzo that.

Unfortunately, Ivy just had to correct him. "No, more than that, remember? We met two months ago, and you already had it."

Enzo narrowed his eyes, glaring accusingly at the back of Stefan's head.

"You've lived here for more than two months?" he repeated coldly as Stefan sat back down. "Well, no wonder it was so hard to find you. We all thought you were living somewhere else, and doing a different job-not auto repair." He sighed. "Obviously, there was some sort of misunderstanding-but perhaps this will clear it all up."

Ivy let out a horrified scream as he finally gave into his urge and stabbed his fork into Stefan's hand pinning it on top of the table. Enzo didn't care, though-he'd had enough of these games. He felt only satisfaction at seeing the pain on Stefan's face. He wanted to cause him pain-and not just physically.

Taking advantage of the momentarily paralysis of both Stefan and Ivy, Enzo got out of his chair and strode around the table, grabbing Ivy out of her chair by the neck.

"Oh my god!" Ivy cried out, freaked out by seeing her boyfriend get stabbed-and by the hands that were now on either side of her chin, holding her firmly in place.

Seeing the threat, Stefan angrily wrenched the fork out of his hands and got back onto his feet as well. "What the hell is wrong with you? Let her go!" he demanded vehemently.

"Okay," Enzo acquiesced carelessly-and he snapped her neck like it was nothing.

Growling low in his throat, Stefan launched himself at Enzo, intent on making him pay-but Enzo shoved him back, knocking him onto the floor.

"What kind of coward are you?" he hissed venomously, looking down at Stefan with what could only be described as disgust, and shaking his head.

"I asked Alaric where you were because I thought you were still looking for a way to get Damon back. In fact, that's what all of your friends thought. But, instead, you've been here, playing human with some girl while Damon is rotting in oblivion. What kind of person just gives up on his only brother?"

Despite being on his back with Enzo looming over him like a hunter about to go in for the kill, Stefan still managed to shoot him a defiant look.

"I don't have to explain myself to you," he spat acidly. He made to get to his feet, but was once again sent sprawling by the younger vampire.

"You're right, you don't," Enzo conceded softly. "And I wouldn't listen, anyways. Because there is no _explanation_ for what you're doing-or rather, not doing. I can't see why they trusted you with this; I don't see why anyone would trust you with anything."

He paused to let out a cruel, disparaging laugh before continuing in an ironically conversational tone.

"You know, Damon once told me that he promised you an eternity of misery. And I remember thinking, well, what could his brother have ever done to inspire so much hatred. But now, I get it." He raked Stefan with a repulsed look. "You're not a brother to him. Brothers don't give up. So, every time I see you doing something that looks like you've done so, every time you try to start over in a life that's nothing but a lie, I will make you pay. I will be the one to bring you the misery you deserve."

Before Stefan could do anything, Enzo launched at him and snapped his neck, too.

Enzo exhaled heavily. He'd really been hoping to do this the easy way-but Stefan, of course, just had to complicate things.

Withdrawing a switchblade and a plastic tube from his pocket, he reached for Stefan's arm and slashed open his wrist.

Immediately after doing so, he positioned the plastic tube under the open wound and squeezed several drops of blood out of it before it closed up.

Putting the stopper in the tube, he slid it back into his pocket along with the knife, and, just before he left, he lowered his lips to Stefan's ear and whispered, "And I'll make sure Damon joins in on the fun when _I_ get him back."

With that, he kicked aside Stefan's prone form and exited the silent house without a backward glance. He had what he needed now, and he pulled out his phone and texted Jo to let her know.

She texted him back only a few seconds later, telling him where to meet her-the Old Ferrel's Church a few miles outside of Mystic Falls-and he headed there straight away.

* * *

It was ironic that a spell like this would have to take place in a church, Enzo observed to himself as he entered the building where he and Jo were supposed to meet. Bringing back the dead wasn't exactly the holiest of rituals-and yet it was required to be performed in the most holiest of places.

Strangely, though, Enzo found himself more drawn to the dancing candle flames than to anything else in the otherwise unlit congregation room. The stained glass windows, the velveteen carpeting, even the jet-black altar positioned on the raised platform at the end of the hall paled in comparison to the unearthliness of those flames.

The bright green glow illuminated the stone walls and gave them a rather eerie appearance, almost as if they were covered by acid. Such was the manifestation of dark magic.

All around him, there were candles with the same phosphorescent flames burning at the end of the wicks; there was no other source of light. In the shadows was where the true power lay sleeping: it was that power that had brought him here, He wanted to use it, because it was the only thing strong enough to perform the ritual he needed to resurrect his dead best friend.

"I have everything I need," the woman standing behind the altar called to him, drawing his attention away from the candle flames. He turned around to face her, an eyebrow raised as she continued to speak. "That is, assuming you brought the final piece?"

A mirthless grin twisted the vampire's lips as he drew it out of his back pocket, holding it up for her to see.

"It's right here," he replied smoothly.

His companion grinned. "Good," she said, beckoning him to join her. "Bring it here. Then, we can begin."

Enzo hastened to join her on the raised platform, placing the crimson-filled tube into her outstretched hand as the clock overhead struck the next hour.

Taking it from him, and taking a deep breath, Jo closed her eyes and commenced with her spell.

" _Spiritum oblivionis, et clamor meus ad nocationem,_ " she began to chant lowly, pressing her empty hand to the smooth surface of the black stone. " _Et aperuentibi portas et liberet eum qui habet hanc sanguis_."

All around her, the candle flames began to roar. Acid green fire spread along the walls and formed a ring around them, bathing everything in a haunting glow.

"And now for the blood," Jo declared as the floor shook beneath their feet and cracks began to spiderweb across the surface of the altar. She unstoppered the tube and tipped it upside down so the dark red fluid inside spilled onto the stone.

Tossing the tube aside, she pressed her fingers into the crimson liquid and began to move them, painting a curved symbol into the center of the altar as she repeated her chant over and over again.

As the pitch of her voice gradually dropped lower and lower, the cracks in the altar grew steadily larger. Piece by piece, it began to melt into a swirling black hole at their feet.

An unearthly gust of wind roared through the chamber, snuffing out the candles and plunging the two inhabitants into complete darkness.

Jo stopped chanting, then, raising her hands on either side of her and focusing on the dark void before her. " _Veni foras_!" she called out, flicking her fingers.

Beside her, Enzo watched in mild bemusement as the shadows surrounding them came alive. The wind howled in his ears, and his vision was momentarily obscured.

As it slowly cleared, he was able to see the darkness coalesce into a distinctly familiar form that sprawled out, lying in front of him, and he grinned with a mixture of satisfaction and relief. The ritual had actually succeeded-and he finally had his best friend back.


	3. Chapter 3

_The world was collapsing around him; the walls of the mausoleum where he'd said his final goodbye to Elena, the trees, the forest, it was all falling away. Even Bonnie, the anchor, was fading out of sight-and he couldn't stop it._

 _Darkness was beginning to encroach on his vision, blacking it all out: his sight, his hearing, his sense of feeling. He was losing it all, piece by piece._

 _ **This is dying**_

 _He'd been prepared for this; he'd known that this was a risk when he'd made the plan to save his brother and his two best friends from being destroyed along with the Other Side. He didn't want to die, of course, but, at this point, he didn't really have a choice. He couldn't pass back into the world of the living-he'd missed his chance, and he wasn't going to get another one._

 _He could only stand and watch as everything around him melted into nothing, and he lost the ability to sense anything at all._

 _He knew what was coming next: a bright, blinding white light consumed his vision while white noise pierced his ears-and then he knew no more._

 _Everything was gone._

Steel blue eyes opened to what looked oddly like a dimly lit church's congregation room.

Damon blinked. He hadn't been expecting to see anything when he woke up; but he definitely hadn't been expecting this, either.

He was upright, but he felt as if he had been sleeping standing up; he was completely disoriented, and he had no idea where he was or how he'd gotten there.

Or that he wasn't alone.

"Damon," a familiar deep, accented voice broke into his stupor, coming from somewhere to his right. He turned toward it, and found himself facing quite possibly the last person he'd expected.

"Enzo," the elder Salvatore replied in a smooth-yet strangely empty-tone he hadn't heard himself use in a long time. "You're definitely not who I thought I'd see." He paused, casting a swift, searching glance at his surroundings before adding. "Neither is any of this. Where are we? And what are we doing here?"

The other vampire wasn't immediately forthcoming with an answer, instead taking a moment to look Damon over carefully, as if making sure that he was really there.

After a long pause, he finally spoke again.

"It worked," he declared with unconcealed relief, exhaling heavily, sounding more as if he were speaking to himself. Then, appearing to actually hear Damon's question, he responded. "We're at the Old Ferrel's church at the edge of Mystic Falls, and we had to come here so that the resurrection ritual would work."

Damon's pale forehead creased slightly. The last time he and Enzo had seen each other, Enzo had been trying to kill him, and he'd burned down an entire building in order to do it; so why did he seem so happy to see Damon alive now?

"What are you talking about?" he queried, but he felt only a mild curiosity-and no concern as to why neither his brother or Elena were there.

He heard Enzo swallow hard, seeming to be steeling himself before answering in a tone of obviously forced calm.

"I brought you back, Damon," Enzo confessed, hands stuffed uncomfortably in the pockets of his gray jacket. "I found the way to get you out of oblivion; I found a witch who specialized in dark magic and she and I did a ritual to resurrect you."

Damon arched an eyebrow; that reply was even more of a shock than Enzo's presence. Yet he didn't feel as startled as he should have.

"Really?" he said slowly, sauntering up to the younger vampire and not stopping until they were nearly nose-to-nose. "And why would you do that?"

"Because I owed you," Enzo answered with feigned casualness. "You died to bring me back, so I figured I should return the favour."

Damon's other eyebrow arched as his gaze roamed over the other vampire's face. He could tell that Enzo wasn't being entirely truthful; but he could also tell that Enzo didn't want to go into any further depth because he moved away, venturing into the corner of the church and returning with a plastic pouch filled with an easily recognizable dark crimson fluid. (pretend for now that Enzo brought a bunch of blood bags with him to the church I'll add that into the previous chapter later)

"I brought you this; I imagine you've worked up quite the appetite after being dead for so long," he changed the subject, holding the pouch out in an offer.

The corners of the blacknette's mouth twitched, recognizing Enzo's attempt at a diversion, but he didn't feel the need to call him on it. Nor did he feel the desire to take the blood bag from him; that wasn't he wanted tonight.

"As a matter of fact, I am quite hungry-but I'm in the mood for something a little…warmer," Damon shot back, his upper lip curling in an expression that hadn't adorned his face since long before he died. He tilted his chin in the direction of the church's exit, beginning to head towards it. "Coming?"

He didn't wait to see if Enzo was following before striding out of the church's front doors and into the open night, keen on doing something he hadn't done in quite a while-something he hadn't planned on ever doing again.

Hunting.

* * *

Just like the night he and Enzo had gone after Aaron Whitmore together, the younger vampire was lying in the middle of the road-a couple of blocks from the church they'd just left-and waiting for the next car to come down the rise, while Damon watched attentively from the shadows.

It was the first time Damon had run this scheme since that night, and the first night he'd gone out with the intention of feeding on someone since he and Enzo had gone on their Augustine killing spree, and he found himself, unlike then, strangely void of any thoughts of Elena or Stefan, or anything besides who his victim tonight was going to be.

He didn't have to wait long for an answer; only moments after they'd taken their positions, a car appeared in the left lane, headlights on low and music audible through the slightly grimy windows. That was usually a sign that the driver wouldn't notice anything unless there was an actual impact-but Enzo was lucky: the driver pulled over about a foot before they would have hit him, and came running out with their music still blasting behind them.

From his spot by one of the street lamps, Damon was able to see that it was a woman, who appeared to be in her twenties, with blonde hair and dark brown eyes. Her stiletto heels made loud clacking noises on the asphalt as she ran toward Enzo's prone form, an expression of horror on her light-skinned features.

"Oh my god," Damon heard her exclaim, eyes wide as she knelt down next to Enzo, scanning him frantically, probably searching for any sign of injuries. "Sir, are you okay? Are you hurt?"

She jumped nearly a foot in the air when Enzo suddenly sat up, turning towards her with a distinctly predatory look gleam in his hazel eyes.

"I feel just fine, love," Enzo responded silkily. Then, he blurred, reappearing behind her, lips ghosting over her ear as he added, "But you won't be in a moment."

Before the woman could ask what he was talking about-or say anything more at all-Damon appeared in front of her, fangs plunging into her neck without any further preamble.

Her mouth opened in a piercing scream, and she tried to fight him off, hitting his shoulders with her hands; but he held her fast, making her unable to get free.

That first mouthful was like electricity running through Damon's body. It had been far too long since the last time he'd had the taste of fresh human blood on his tongue; he'd almost forgotten that thick, rich flavour-he'd almost forgotten how good it felt to drain the life out of someone, to hold a victim in his arms and feel it as the energy went out of their bodies.

The woman screamed again, begging him to stop, asking him why he was doing this, but Damon didn't answer her-and her pleas didn't deter him at all. If anything, it just spurred him on more, prompting him to hold her tighter, to bite harder into her flesh.

As he took steadily more and more blood from the woman, he felt her struggles growing weaker and heard her pulse fading against his mouth.

When she went limp in his arms, he finally released her, tossing her onto the ground like a rag doll. Eyes closed, he tilted his head back, reveling in the familiar thrill of having just ended a human life. Blood ran down his chin and dripped from the tips of his fangs, but he made no move to clean himself up. He wanted to enjoy this; the complete lack of remorse or self-hatred, the familiar shivers of pleasure running through him-it was almost like being back in the old days before Elena, before anyone had been able to make him feel bad for being what he was.

He opened his eyes again after a moment, and saw Enzo watching him with an expression Damon couldn't identify on his olive-skinned features. He was strangely unbothered, though-even when Enzo's eyes seemed to follow his tongue as it flicked out to lick his lips clean, and that expression intensified.

Whatever it was, Enzo played it off with a crooked smile, clapping Damon on the shoulder in a-seemingly forced-friendly manner.

"It's good to have you back, mate," he said, a similar forcedness in his voice-as well as a note of uncertainty.

Damon's mouth quirked slightly as well. It was a little strange, having Enzo treat him this way after what had happened between them before he'd died; but he didn't feel the need to analyze it-at least, not at the moment-so he let it go.

"It's good to be back," he responded, letting out a soft exhilarated breath, returning the smile-but with an unfamiliar darker edge.

 _This is no longer the vampire you knew_


	4. Chapter 4

Damon stared pensively out over the edge of the balcony, a bottle of amber liquid clutched in his pale hand, half-full and with a faint smudge of crimson near the top.

The night wind was blowing through his ebony locks and biting at his exposed skin; the burn of alcohol was in his throat and the taste of blood still lingered on his tongue, all as potent as ever before.

He hadn't thought he'd ever get to feel any of these things again. After he'd gotten trapped on the Other Side and that blinding white light had swallowed him up, he hadn't expected to feel anything ever again. But he'd been proven wrong; he was feeling things-and he'd never appreciated it more.

But it wasn't the same as before. He didn't feel any remorse at the taste of blood in his mouth-or for the activities that had lead to it being there. He didn't feel any desire to talk to his brother, or to go to Elena, or an urge to know the real reason why they hadn't been there when he'd first woken up after being resurrected.

What he did feel, though, he thought as he took another drought from the bottle of bourbon, was an immense gratitude toward Enzo for bringing him back-and a drive to know the real reason why he had done so.

The sound of the sliding glass door opening behind him interrupted his thoughts, and, as if summoned by them, Enzo's accented voice punctuated the air.

"I never pegged you as the introspective type, Damon," he commented flippantly; but, just like earlier, there was a forcedness to his words, like he was trying hard to act casual.

Damon set the bottle in his hand down and turned around to face the other vampire before responding.

"You didn't answer my question earlier," he said softly, azure orbs boring holes into Enzo's dark hazel ones. "Why did you bring me back, Enzo? You hated me when you died, so why would you want me back?"

The faint smile that had been building on Enzo's lips vanished, and he looked down, bottom lip catching between his teeth. Damon clearly wasn't in the mood for their usual trading of barbs and wisecrack; he wanted a real answer.

"I did hate you," the younger vampire admitted, taking a deep breath. "But I didn't want to. And, when I found out that you died in order to save me and everyone else from being destroyed along with the Other Side, I couldn't anymore. I had no one while you were gone, and I couldn't stand it. Whatever went on between us before, you were still the most important person in my life, and I couldn't live another second of my eternity without you." It was hard, baring so much of himself out loud, but Enzo knew Damon deserved the truth.

Damon stared at him for a long while after that, his expression unreadable. He hadn't heard Enzo speak with that much emotion since he'd confessed to being the one responsible for Maggie's murder. Enzo had said something similar then, saying that he didn't want to hate Damon, because if he did, then he would have nothing left. Ironically, that had been right before Enzo had died. Now, being the one who'd brought Damon back, obviously, he didn't hate him anymore; but there was still another question on Damon's mind.

"And what I did to Maggie, you're not angry at me for that anymore?"

Enzo swallowed. "I can't pretend that it doesn't still hurt, knowing that you were the one who killed her," he declared in a slightly strained voice. He forced himself to look up again and meet Damon's gaze before finishing. "But even so, I don't want you dead. I can't live with you dead-and I don't want to."

Sometime during his speech, Enzo had unconsciously moved closer to Damon; they were nearly nose-to-nose now, and all of Enzo's focus was on gauging on Damon's reaction.

The elder vampire pressed his lips together tightly. He and Enzo had never really been ones to talk about their feelings-not like this. The one time they had been when Enzo had been trying to kill him for leaving him trapped in Augustine.

This time wasn't like that at all.

Damon tilted his head, lifting one of his midnight-coloured eyebrows.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" he queried after an extended pause, eyes searching Enzo's face like he might find his answers there.

The younger vampire inhaled sharply, spreading his palms. He'd run out of words. He'd said everything he could, except what he really meant. He couldn't say that, though-not right then-which left him with only one option he could think of.

Throwing caution to the wind, Enzo leaned forward, and, closing what little distance between remained between him and Damon, pressed his mouth to the elder vampire's.

He was fully prepared for Damon to push him away-in fact, he was expecting it. What he wasn't prepared for was Damon to not only reciprocate, but back him against the sliding glass door and take complete control.

To say Enzo was surprised would be an understatement. Though he'd wanted to kiss Damon for longer than he could remember, he'd never thought that Damon would kiss him back; the Damon he remembered from 3 months ago never would have, not as wrapped up in Elena as he had been.

He knew he shouldn't be letting this happen; but now that he had started, he didn't want to stop. And Damon's lips were so soft that he just couldn't.

When Damon's tongue pushed into his mouth, he didn't fight it; he just sucked it further inside, moaning as it slid almost to the back of his throat.

A hiss left his lips when one of Damon's hands pulled lightly at his hair, tugging his head back so he could get even deeper, while the other hand reached around him for the handle of the door.

Enzo almost fell over when Damon got the door open and began walking him backwards into the room and toward the bed, his once again free hand pushing at Enzo's jacket.

Taking the hint, Enzo shrugged the gray material off, tossing it to the side before tugging on the front of Damon's shirt.

Damon took off his own jacket, then momentarily breaking their kiss to pull his shirt over his head before reaching for the hem of Enzo's. Enzo lifted his arms so he could remove it, too, letting his hands and eyes rove over Damon's newly bared torso once it was out of the way

The feeling of Damon's naked skin against his own was like nothing he'd ever felt before; every nerve in his body was in overdrive and waves of heat were rushing through his body. And it only got more intense when Damon's hands clamped down his hips, dragging him forward so he could slot their mouths together again.

" _Damon,_ " he groaned when he felt their, still-clothed erections grind against one another, nails digging into Damon's shoulders in an effort to ground himself-a wasted one.

His world spun on its axis when Damon bit into his bottom lip hard enough to break the skin, tongue coming out to lap at the blood that pooled on the surface. It shouldn't have been so erotic, but because it was Damon, Enzo couldn't help but let out another groan, his hands slipping lower, skimming down Damon's abdomen before reaching for his belt buckle.

Damon practically growled against Enzo's lips as the younger vampire opened his fly and he did the same, stripping them both of their pants-and boxers-in record time.

Enzo grunted as Damon ran a tantalizing hand over his lower stomach before breaking their kiss again to push Enzo onto the bed. He went willingly, of course, and Damon crawled on top of him, moving his mouth to Enzo's neck.

He grazed kisses up Enzo's jawline, drawing more hisses from his friend's mouth, stopping just below his ear. "What do you want, Enzo?" he asked, his voice so low, so dark that it was hardly recognizable, and it sent shivers down Enzo's spine.

He arched up off the bed, Damon's hot breath making goosebumps rise on his neck. "I want you to fuck me," he breathed honestly, his accent thick with lust and unconcealed desperation.

He cried out when Damon suddenly pushed inside him with no warning or preparation of any sort. It hurt, but not enough to make him change his mind or make Damon stop. He wanted this too badly, and he was a vampire-he could handle a little pain.

And the pain didn't last long anyways; once Damon started moving, rutting into him with steadily increasing speed and still devouring his mouth, it was drowned out by the pleasure and elation. Enzo threw his head back, and Damon took advantage of his exposed throat, fangs coming out to scrape against it.

Shockwaves raced up Enzo's spine with every thrust, bringing the heat in his stomach higher and higher, and he couldn't stay still. He began to rock his hips, meeting Damon's every movement and pulling him deeper, urging him to give him more.

His eyes practically rolled back in his head when Damon struck that spot inside of him that made him see stars, and he bit into Damon's lip to muffle his exclamation, feeling Damon chuckle huskily as he did so.

" _Fuck_ ," he panted raggedly against Damon's mouth, jerking as Damon slammed against his prostate over and over again, bringing him rapidly closer and closer to the edge.

His mouth shifted, dragging over the side of Damon's face and the curve of his jaw, and Damon let out a groan of his own, his head arcing back and his movements speeding up even more.

The heat kept building until Enzo was gasping into Damon's ear, and Damon turned his head, so their mouths met again, this time in a rougher, messier kiss. Enzo wrapped a leg around Damon's waist, scratching red lines into Damon's back as he kissed him harder.

His body jolted again as Damon's hand moved in between them and wrapped around his dripping length, beginning to stroke him in tandem with the rhythm of his hips. He was so close, though, that it only took three or four before the heat in his stomach reached its peak, and he came hard, spilling over Damon's fingers and groaning the elder's name into his mouth.

At the same time, he clenched hard around Damon, prompting the elder's own orgasm, and Damon hissed, thrusts becoming more forceful and erratic as he rode out every last drop.

Once he was completely spent, they broke apart, Damon gradually stilling between his thighs. Enzo slumped back against the pillows, letting out a strangled breath as Damon pulled out and rolled off of him.

He didn't really know what to do, then; his mind was still hazy, still caught in the post-orgasm fog. He really hadn't thought Damon would let things go this far-but now that they had…well, he was too addled to think about it anymore tonight, so he let his eyes slip shut, resolving to analyze it more in the morning.

Damon watched Enzo fall asleep beside him, shifting slightly beneath the sheets. This was not what he'd thought would happen when he asked Enzo why he'd brought him back; the thought that Enzo might still want this, after everything Damon had done, had never crossed his mind.

Yet, just like earlier, he didn't really feel as much shock as he probably should; in the moment when Enzo had kissed him, he'd felt only desire-and now, looking at the other vampire's slumbering form, he felt only a mix of satiation and what seemed almost like contentment.

And, as he allowed himself to drift off as well, Elena didn't enter his thoughts at all.

* * *

The morning sun blazing through the uncovered window was what woke Enzo the next day, and he blinked slowly, shielding his eyes from the bright light as he stirred.

For a brief instant, he couldn't remember how he'd ended up in bed without any clothes on; then, he looked over and, finding Damon lying next to him in a similar state, it all came rushing back.

 _Kisses like fire the taste of his own blood mingling with alcohol as he was crushed against the glass. He'd dreamed about this so many times but there had always been something in the way of it becoming reality._

Enzo bit hit bottom lip. He hadn't planned for this to happen; ending up in bed with Damon had never been the plan. He'd just wanted his only friend back; he'd never even considered trying to sleep with him.

Okay, that was a lie. He _had_ thought about trying to sleep with Damon before, but he hadn't intended on doing so-at least, not until Damon had asked him why he'd brought him back and he hadn't known how else to explain it to him. Not to mention the fact that the only thing that had been stopping him before had been that Damon had a girlfriend-but, considering what she had been doing-or rather, not doing-while Damon had been rotting in oblivion, she didn't really deserve him.

So, Enzo had kissed him and that was how this had happened.

He could still taste Damon's lips on his, and he didn't know how to feel about it. Part of him was ecstatic that he had finally gotten the thing he wanted most from Damon-but the other, more rational, part wondered how Damon was going to react to it.

Something didn't quite add up about how this had happened. They'd both had a bit to drink the previous night, it was true; but it took a lot to make a vampire drunk and neither of them had had anywhere near enough alcohol to reach that point, so it hadn't been the alcohol that had made Damon let things go that far. It was…something else.

Beside him, Damon began to stir, and, dreading what he might say, Enzo swung his legs over the other side of the bed and began to collect his clothes. He didn't think he could take it if he turned out to be reading too much into this and Damon told him he was just a distraction-or, even worse, a mistake. He needed to leave before Damon got a chance to break him like that again.

As he was pulling on his jeans, he heard the sounds of Damon turning over in the bed, and saw those unearthly azure eyes opening out of the corner of his own.

"Where are you off to?" the elder vampire asked, voice hoarse and rough with sleep.

Enzo had to force himself not to meet Damon's gaze and just kept pulling on his clothes. He knew if he looked at Damon, it would only weaken his resolve and he wouldn't be able to make himself walk away.

"To let you get dressed before you leave," he replied in as even a tone as he could muster, eyes fixed firmly on his hands as he fastened his zipper. "We don't need to talk about last night. I know I was only a distraction until you could get back to Elena." He tried hard to keep the bitterness out of his voice at that last part.

The last thing he expected was for Damon to appear in front of him, still completely naked and with the obvious intention of stopping him from leaving.

"What makes you think that?" the blacknette questioned, cocking his head to the side like a curious child.

His words made Enzo look up; he hadn't thought Damon would challenge his assumption.

"Because you love her, and she's the one you really want to get back to," he stated blandly, forcing his gaze to remain above Damon's neckline.

The elder, though, didn't seem to mind if Enzo's gaze wandered and he didn't even bother to try and cover himself up.

"That _was_ true," he conceded slowly; then, a sly smirk formed on his lips as he added, "But she wasn't the one who brought be back, and I do believe I still have some gratitude to express for that."

Enzo wanted that to mean that Damon wasn't planning on going back to Elena at all; but he didn't want to get his hopes up. And, if gratitude for his resurrection was the only reason Damon was staying with him, then he figured he should explain that he couldn't take all the credit.

"I did have some help, you know," he admitted, contrasting Damon's slightly playful tone with a completely serious one.

Again, contrary to Enzo's expectations, his words only seemed to encourage the other vampire.

"Well, they'll just have to make do with a gift basket or something, because this thanks is only for you."

Enzo couldn't fight as Damon gripped the back of his head and crushed their mouths together-nor he could stop himself from responding instantly, abandoning his efforts at putting his clothes back on and clutching at Damon's shoulders to pull him closer.

His mind whirled when Damon pushed him back toward the bed, following him down while his tongue traced the seam of Enzo's lips. This was not how Enzo thought this morning would go, and he knew it was definitely not how Damon would have previously handled this situation.

Even as he parted his lips to Damon's insistent tongue, he found himself thinking: this was not the same Damon who had died. Something had changed while he'd been dead; seemingly the part that cared about Elena, the part that had kept him from feeding on humans, had been lost or something, because the Damon from before would never have been doing this.

Enzo knew Stefan and Elena wouldn't be happy about that, and that made him like it even more: not only did this Damon seem to want him, but anything that made Stefan unhappy was perfect to him. So, instead of questioning it, he turned his mind off and let himself enjoy it.

After all, it _was_ what he'd always wanted.

* * *

that actually kind of seems like it could be the end of the fic doesn't it? it might be. i have a plan for this to go further but...


	5. Chapter 5

The strange thing was that Damon didn't feel at all bad for sleeping with Enzo the previous night-or any of the times since. Even though he was technically still with Elena, he hadn't thought of her once-a sharp contrast to before he'd died, when she'd been pretty much all he could think about.

Even stranger was the fact that he had killed someone for the first time in ages the same night and he didn't feel the slightest bit of guilt for that, either. He knew it was wrong, that he _should_ feel bad-three months ago, he would have-but, even now, standing over yet another body, he didn't. In fact, he felt quite the opposite; he felt _exhilarated._

Part of that was most likely due to the fact that he wasn't alone. Enzo was there in front of him, mouth twisted in a dark smile and drenched in crimson-just like Damon's was, and, when Damon looked at him, he felt something that could only be described as desire stirring inside him.

He tugged the younger vampire toward him, letting out a half-groan, half-growl when instead of just kissing him, Enzo ran his tongue over Damon's lips, lapping at the blood still dripping off them with deliberate slowness.

A rush of combined heat and cold rushed through Damon's body-another thing that had never happened before he'd died and come back to life again. He'd never felt anything like that before, and his nails dug into Enzo's hips as he pressed in close, wrapping his tongue around Enzo's.

Enzo let out a groan of his own as Damon took control, and he let him, sucking his tongue further inside.

Another shiver of cold ran though Damon-and that was really made him realize that something was off. Because it wasn't a physical coldness-that would be normal. No, this was more of an emotional one.

Actually, it kind of reminded him of the sensation he usually got when his humanity was off; except this seemed to only be freezing out certain emotions, like his love for Elena and the guilt he usually felt for killing humans-and whatever had previously stopped him from doing what he was doing now.

He wasn't complaining, of course-he was actually quite enjoying the vacation from all that self-reprehension-but he was rather curious to know what exactly was causing this.

A second later, as if prompted by his thoughts, and as Enzo was slipping a hand underneath his jacket, they were interrupted by the sound of Enzo's cellphone buzzing.

Enzo stopped what he was doing, letting out a low, irritated noise before pulling away from Damon enough so he could withdraw the device from his pocket and see who was contacting him.

Damon peered at the screen as well, seeing a complex 12-digit number displayed there. It wasn't a number he recognized-but Enzo answered it, anyways.

"Yes?" the younger vampire said by way of a greeting. Being a vampire, Damon was able to hear the response when it came.

" _It's Jo_ ," a female voice answered; Damon didn't recognize the voice, either-but, apparently, Enzo did, because his expression changed into a more serious one as she continued. "I thought, now that he's had a few days to settle in, you might be able to introduce me to your friend. I'd really like to meet him."

Enzo paused, eyes shifting to Damon, who shook his head in a negative. He hadn't exactly had the best encounters with witches recently.

Enzo exhaled heavily, lowering the phone and, instead of actually asking the question, went right into arguing in favour of her request. "She's the witch that helped bring you back. I think we at least owe her a conversation for that."

That made Damon rethink his declination; he hadn't known that.

"Oh," he said in realization. "Well, in that case, I'd like to meet her, too. Set it up."

Enzo inclined his head before lifting the phone back up to his ear and replying. "Where and when?"

There was another pause before Jo told him. " _Tomorrow, 11 am, the Canyon diner._ "

Enzo shot Damon another look to confirm that he wanted to do this; when Damon indicated the affirmative, so did he. "We'll be there," he agreed.

* * *

Though Jo came to the table alone the next morning, Damon could tell that she hadn't arrived that way. There were some familiar faces watching them from other parts of the restaurant-the witch, Liv, and her brother, Luke-but Damon didn't acknowledge them. He wanted to see how this meeting would go first.

"You must be the famous Damon Salvatore," the dark-haired woman said, a smile on her glossy lips as she sat down across from Damon at the table.

"I am," Damon confirmed, his pale face unreadable as he surveyed the witch from his seat. "And you must be Jo. I hear you're the witch I have to thank for my return to the land of the living."

Jo waved a careless hand. "I just provided the spell; your friend here did all of the hard work-including what your brother should have been doing."

Damon raised an eyebrow at that last part, and he deviated from his planned line of enquiry, wanting to know what she meant. "What are you talking about?"

Jo's smile widened to show her teeth.

"He didn't tell you?" she queried with what could almost be described as amusement. Damon felt Enzo shift beside him, as if uncomfortable with the subject, and, curious as to why, Damon shook his head, prompting Jo to elaborate.

"We needed your brother's blood for the spell, and, when Enzo went to get it, he found your brother not looking for you like everyone thought he was, but shacked up with some girl and acting like you didn't even exist."

Damon's other eyebrow rose to join the first. Well, that definitely wasn't what he'd expected to hear; Enzo had still been searching for him when even his own brother had given up.

He knew he should feel hurt by that, but instead all he felt was the same strange coldness from earlier, freezing out the pain-but not his interest in why Jo had helped resurrect him.

"So, my own brother didn't even try to bring me back; why did you?" he queried shrewdly, changing the subject. "Normally witches don't do anything for vampires unless there's something in it for them, or they're being threatened. Enzo tells me you came to him, so he didn't force you, which means you want something. What is it? What's your interest in me?"

Jo paused, inhaling deeply before responding. "Well, I'm not just a witch-and you're not just a vampire."

Damon didn't know what to say to that-so Enzo spoke for him.

"What do you mean by that?" the younger vampire asked, folding his arms across his chest.

Jo's smile finally dropped into a more serious, thoughtful expression as she considered how best to answer that. It was difficult and more complicated than could be put into simple words, but, after another long pause, she figured it out.

"There's a reason why your consciousness didn't just end when the Other side was destroyed," she started, laying her hands flat on the table top and chewing on her lower lip. "Though you are still a supernatural being, you are actually not like any the world has ever seen before."

Damon couldn't help but feel a little exasperated at the cryptic statement; it was just like a witch to be this vague. Getting a straight answer from this woman was starting to feel like pulling teeth.

"Care to be a little more specific?" he prodded, finally finding his voice again.

"It means you have powers that go far beyond that of a vampire-and they were awakened by your second death," the sorceress explained matter-of-factly, meeting Damon's narrowed gaze without blinking. "Surely you've noticed a change since you came back?"

When both vampires' expressions remained blank, and neither of them spoke, Jo decided to try a different tack. "Give me your hand," she requested, holding out one of her own.

Damon raised his eyebrows again, feeling a sense of immense scepticism, but he still complied.

He watched as Jo gripped his wrist, turning his hand over so his palm was facing downward and hers was underneath.

"Now, close your eyes and concentrate," she instructed, looking at him with intense focus.

Damon cocked his head to the side, his bemusement growing. "On what?" he queried.

The sorceress' smile returned. "On whatever makes you feel strong."

A crease appeared between Damon's brows at the abstract direction. That didn't really help, but, sensing that he wasn't going to get a more explicit one, he followed it to the best of his understanding, letting his eyes slip shut and focusing his mind.

 _What made him strong_? Before coming back from the dead-the most recent time-his thoughts most likely would have gone to Elena-but that wasn't where they went now.

Instead, they turned to the vampire next to him, remembering those five years in Augustine together and seeing him standing there when he'd woken up in that church a few nights ago. And, when his mind focused on those memories, something began to stir.

It was the coldness again-only this time, it was stronger, like a wave of pure ice rushing through his veins. And, instead of just freezing out his feelings, it invigorated his senses in a way that went beyond anything that came from being a vampire.

"Damon," Enzo touched his shoulder, and the elder Salvatore opened his eyes to find that the ice wasn't just inside him anymore-it was outside, too.

Frost was bleeding out of his hand, spreading up his arm and covering his hand like some kind of bizarre glove. More than that, ice was outlining his veins, highlighting them in electric-blue-the same shade as his suddenly glowing eyes.

He probably should have been shocked, but, just like with a lot of other things, he didn't feel it. He just felt…untouchable.

He turned his hand around again, and ice burst from his palm like a fireball, making him blink. Now _that_ was something new.

"This is your true power, Damon," Jo declared in a hushed voice, noting the obvious awe on Enzo's olive-skinned face. "This is why the Gemini coven wanted you back in the land of the living."

Enzo gripped Damon's shoulder tightly, staring wide-eyed at the other vampire's arm. He couldn't believe his eyes; those were definitely not regular vampire powers. No, those were something else entirely.

"What am I?" Damon asked, his tone and features strangely empty as he rolled his sleeve up to examine his now-frost-covered arm more closely.

The sorceress lifted her shoulders in a shrug. "There isn't a name for what you are because, as far as we can tell, you are the only one."

"And you want to use me somehow because of that, don't you?" Damon finished for her, piercing her with a steely glare. "That's the real reason you helped Enzo bring me back."

"I would _appreciate_ it if you and your friend would do me and my coven a favour," Jo corrected him. "But I won't force you. The choice is yours."

Enzo and Damon shared a brief, contemplative look; neither of them really believed that Jo was really giving them a choice of whether or not to help her. However, she so far hadn't given them a reason not to trust her, so they decided to hear her out.

"And what might this favour be?" Enzo questioned.

Jo's expression turned wry. "You actually might like this one; we need you to capture a specific vampire and hold him for us," she stated, withdrawing her phone from her pocket and opening it to a photo of the aforementioned vampire to show Damon.

The elder Salvatore's pale features stayed completely neutral at the sight of his brother's face; he felt no sense of protectiveness or reluctance to do what Jo wanted-only a mild curiosity of why she wanted it in the first place.

"What do you want from Stefan?" Damon questioned, his tone as bland as his gaze.

Jo cast a look over her shoulder at the blonde witch in the corner, as if asking how much she should-or could-tell them.

"He is integral to a spell we need to perform-and I thought, since he's your brother, it might be less conspicuous for you to grab him," she explained. "But, just so you know, my initial reason for helping to bring you back was really only simple curiosity. I was interested in your strength, and I could see it in action while you were trapped in oblivion. So, you don't owe me anything; if you don't want to do this, I won't push you. I'm not that kind of girl."

Damon jerked his chin in the direction of her ill-concealed companions. "What about the rest of your coven? They won't be coming after us to collect on your debt if we decide not to help?"

Jo shook her head. "You have my word: this is a completely optional favour. There will be no repercussions if you refuse."

Damon turned his gaze to Enzo again. "What do you think?" he questioned.

The younger vampire had to force himself not to just agree outright; he'd resolved not to tell Damon what had gone down between him and Stefan, and he didn't want to give away any more than Jo already had. Fortunately, Damon already knew he wasn't very fond of Stefan before now, so he didn't have to disagree, either.

"Personally, I think Stefan deserves a taste of what it was like for us in Augustine," he stated bluntly. "But, he's your brother, so whatever you want to do, I'll go along with."

Damon cocked his head to the side, considering it-though he knew he shouldn't be. Stefan was still his brother, whatever he had done-or not done-in the past. Yet, for some reason, Damon didn't feel the need to keep him safe. He didn't even feel the need to get more specifics on what the witches were going to do to him for their spell; after a beat, he just nodded.

"I'll do it," he consented.

Jo didn't even try to hide her pleasure at his concurrence.

"Excellent," she said, eyes gleaming. She pulled out a slip of paper from her pocket and held it out to the two vampires. "Once you have him, take him here; it has all the proper restraints for a normal vampire."

Damon took the piece of paper from her and tucked it into his jacket. "We'll let you know when we have him," he stated, getting to his feet.

Jo inclined her head, first to her companion, then to the elder Salvatore. "I'll look forward to it," she replied by way of a goodbye, standing up as well and then departing with the two blonde witches close at her heels.

* * *

When they were outside the restaurant, too, Damon reached out, closing his hand around Enzo's arm and stopping him in his tracks.

"I didn't want to interrupt my conversation with the witch while we were in there; but now that we're out, what happened between you and Stefan?" the elder vampire wondered, sounding, not accusatory, but merely inquisitive.

Enzo let out a soft, soundless breath. He'd known this was coming; he'd known Damon would be able to miss the tension in him when Jo had brought up Stefan.

"I found him playing house with some tart when everyone thought he was looking for you," he admitted, still feeling a flicker anger at the memory. "I was angry at him for giving up so I…I snapped his girlfriend's neck and told him that _I_ was going to be the one to give him the eternity of misery you once promised him."

Considering how different Damon had been acting since he'd gotten back, and what they'd just found out, Enzo didn't know how he expected Damon to react to his confession-but the way he did was the complete opposite of what he would have expected three months ago.

The corners of Damon's pale mouth twitched slightly.

"Well, I think your new witch friend just gave us the perfect opportunity to make good on that promise," he said, voice strangely cool.

Enzo arched an eyebrow. "Us?" he repeated with no small amount of surprise.

Damon's upper lip curled. "Mm-hmm," he confirmed. "So, where is my _darling_ brother, anyways?"

Enzo couldn't stop his own lips from twisting into a cruel smile at the knowledge that Damon wanted to help him make his brother suffer. "Savannah," he stated, now with a hint of eagerness in his tone.

Damon cracked his knuckles.

"Let's go give him the family reunion he never expected," he declared malevolently, eyes glittering like shards of ice beneath his ebony lashes.


	6. Chapter 6

In all of Stefan's time as a vampire, there had only been a few people who could overpower him-other, older vampires, the members of the Five that he had met, and a few witches-so, when an unknown assailant crept up behind him on his way home from work, wrapping an arm around his throat and actually succeeding in cutting off his air supply, he was stunned.

He struggled, of course, fighting to break away, but the strength of his attacker was unlike anything he'd ever felt before; as it tightened, black spots began to bloom before his eyes, and he was forced to his knees, still clawing futilely at the arm coiled around his windpipe.

"Relax, I don't you dead," a deep, cold voice spoke next to his ear, sounding strangely familiar-and yet not-and sending chills down his spine. "But I do need you unconscious, so-"

The younger Salvatore didn't have time to say a word before he felt the familiar sensation of his neck being broken-and then everything went black.

He woke up in a small, unlit room; his hands were chained on either side of his head to the dark olive green wall, and his legs were manacled in front of him to the stone floor. That was the first thing he noticed.

The second was that he wasn't alone.

"Hello, brother," Damon greeted him from his position leaning up against the mirror on the opposite wall with his thumbs hooked in the belt loops of his tight black jeans.

Stefan's breath stuttered in his throat. He couldn't believe it; he had seen his brother die nearly four months ago and had been certain that there was no way for Damon to come back. Yet, there he was, standing in front of Stefan, looking exactly as he had when they'd first returned to Mystic Falls four years ago. And that scared Stefan more than anything.

Damon was looking at him almost exactly the same way he had when he'd shown up in Stefan's bedroom that night after he'd attacked Vicki in the woods; eyes cold and mocking and lips twisted into a malicious sneer. The only difference was that he no longer looked even the slightest bit human; his eyes were now pupilless pools of liquid ice-a sharp contrast to his ivory skin and all black attire. Tendrils of blue crisscrossed and coiled around his pale throat, glowing like nothing Stefan had ever seen before. There was nothing human about any of that.

"Damon?" the younger Salvatore choked out, hardly able to say his name, his shock was so intense. "When did you get back? _How_ did you get back?"

His brother's sneer widened.

"Funny story, actually," he said in a conversely humourless tone. He pushed himself off the wall, loping towards Stefan in a distinctly predatory manner before continuing. " _Enzo_ brought me back about two days ago. I would have come to see you right away, but I didn't think you wanted that-you know, since you gave up on me and all."

Stefan tensed in his shackles. How did Damon know about that?

"Did Enzo tell you that?" he questioned cagily, trying to sound as if he were offended; but obviously he didn't quite pull it off because Damon was completely unmoved.

"The witch who helped Enzo bring me back told me-even though Enzo asked her not to," he revealed, still speaking in that same soft, frigid tone that was setting Stefan's teeth on edge. The elder took another step closer, bending forward so Stefan was forced to look into his practically glowing crystalline eyes.

"You know, in all this, I thought you would be the one I could always count on, Stefan." He let out a dark, ironic chuckle. "It was just like Augustine all over again; I thought you would be the one to save me from the Hell I was trapped in. I thought my only family would be the one who never gave up on me-but instead it was someone who died hating me. Someone who had every reason to leave me rotting in oblivion for eternity, and yet he did the complete opposite-while you, my _brother_ , did nothing. What does that say about you?"

The fact that Damon had said all of that without a single trace of emotion, and in just barely above a whisper, unsettled Stefan more than the words themselves. He pressed his lips together, swallowing hard; he had no idea what to say, or how to even begin to defend himself. There was no way he _could_ -because Damon was right. He had given up-he'd stopped looking for Damon and he hadn't been the one to bring him back. There was nothing he could do to make that okay.

He tried to lift his shoulders in a shrug, forgetting for a moment that he was chained to the wall. "I don't have any explanations that are going to placate you, Damon. I wasn't there when you needed me the most, and I'm sorry."

Damon straightened back up fluidly, expression still giving nothing away.

"I'm afraid sorry isn't going to cut it this time, Stef-you're going to have to do better than that."

Stefan pulled again at the shackles holding him in place. "Okay," he said in a deceptively calm tone, "But what can I do while I'm tied up?"

"Let's start with this," Damon snapped his fingers-and that was when Stefan felt it.

It was like a thousand freezing needles piercing his skin at the same time, like a thousand fragments of vervain were being pressed against every part of his body. He screamed, head reeling back and chains rattling as he thrashed in place.

"Damon, what-?" he tried to ask, but then the pain came again-in the form of an icy wave this time-and another scream burst out of his mouth, causing him to shudder violently.

He was still shaking and panting hard, when he noticed that whatever Damon was doing to him was actually having an effect on the outside of his body as well as the inside: frost was clinging to all of his exposed flesh, and there were icicles embedded into it-and when he looked over at Damon, all of it seemed to be coming from him.

"Damon what-what's going on? Wh-what's happened to you?" he actually managed to get the full extent of his question out this time, though his voice was still trembling from fear-and the sudden cold.

Damon's cocky sneer returned.

"Well, you see, brother, when I was in oblivion, I learned something quite interesting about myself," Damon replied, and there was more danger in the silkiness of his voice than in the most potent of curses.

"What are you talking abou-?" Stefan started, but once again he was cut off when a sudden force made him collide with the wall. He cried out again, and his pain intensified as another layer of frost spread rapidly over his chest, effectively freezing him in place.

"D-Damon," he repeated his brother's name, teeth full-on chattering now. "H-how a-are y-you doing this?"

Damon's sneer turned even colder, and he advanced a step closer, trailing his fingers over his brother's shackles and revealing that frost was now covering them as well as the rest of his hand and continuing even past his wrist.

"Well, Stefan, as it turns out, I'm not exactly what you would call a regular vampire-and I don't mean just because of my uniquely sparkling personality," the elder Salvatore drawled smoothly, loping around his brother with an unfamiliar liquid grace, something beyond that of any vampire Stefan had met before.

Stefan gaped, still shaking from head to toe as Damon came to a halt mere inches away from where hung, unable to look away from Damon's flashing azure orbs.

"Wh-what a-are you?" he exclaimed in a horrified whisper.

Damon placed a hand on the wall next to Stefan's head, and Stefan couldn't suppress a gasp when he saw ice bloom on the stone around it-just like it had over his chest.

"Oh, there isn't a name for what I am," the elder Salvatore declared, voice turning soft and even silkier, like a snake's hiss. His smile was no longer cold: it was amused, exultant as he continued. "I am the only one, after all; but I am more than you are, more than our old friend Klaus, and more than even Silas was. I can do everything they could, and what they couldn't. And, perhaps most importantly, I was not created by magic, so there is no way to end my power; I have no balance, no equal. I'm _really_ indestructible."

Before Stefan could make any kind of comment about that, Damon pushed and the cold flared up inside Stefan again, this time actually making his bloodstream slow.

He groaned as it increased and his blood began to freeze in place, causing his veins to rub together and his vision to blur.

"D-Dam-mon, pl-please," he all but whimpered, hardly able to get the words out because he was shivering so badly, black spots once again dancing before his eyes.

Damon bent forward again, lowering his lips to Stefan's ear.

"You know, when I promised you that eternity of misery all those years ago, I never planned on actually physically torturing you-but now I think doing so is the perfect way for me to practice my new abilities," he mused. Then, he straightened up again, and added, "I'll let you have a brief respite before we start up again. I'm really going to enjoy this."

He let out a low, icy snicker before turning and walking out the door on the other side of the room.

As soon as he was gone, whatever force had been holding Stefan immobile dissipated, and the younger Salvatore slumped down, letting out a stuttering breath. He bit his lip, trying to step his shudders enough to focus on breaking out of his chain;he didn't know what had happened to Damon, but that was the brother he knew, and he didn't think spending any more time with him would be very good for his health-or his state of mind.

He pulled fiercely at the shackles, trying to break the metal hooks that were attaching them to the wall-but his arms were trembling too badly to exert much force. He tried to separate his legs to break the manacles holding them together, but that also came to no avail. Nothing he attempted seemed to work-but that didn't stop him from repeatedly trying over and over again for the next while.

After about an hour, though, he got frustrated and began to cast his fading gaze around, desperately looking for anything that might be of help to him.

When his eyes fell on the mirror that Damon had been leaning against, he discovered that it was two way one-and what he saw on the other side was something that made him blink in shock: his brother was kissing another man.

And, even more startling, it was a man that Stefan recognized all too well.

Enzo.

* * *

Damon stood on the other side of the two way glass, a cruel twist to his lips as he watched his brother continuously try and fail to break free of the chains binding him to the wall. He'd never thought he would have so much fun seeing his brother in pain; but then, he'd never thought anything that was happening now would-especially not the whole him having these crazy new powers thing.

He lifted one of his hands and momentarily moved his gaze away from the mirror to observe the frost that was spreading over it, extending all the way to his fingertips. He felt strangely unaffected by the sight, only intrigued by how he'd been able to control it earlier, given the fact that he'd only just found out about it. He had no idea how he'd done what he'd done to Stefan-he barely knew anything about these abilities. He didn't even know if what he had told Stefan was true-he'd just thought it sounded good.

And yet, he was oddly untroubled by it; the lack of knowledge was only making him more eager to see what would happen next. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had this much fun.

"Enjoying yourself?" a familiar accented voice cut into his thoughts, sounding as amused as he felt.

Damon grinned, turning around just in time to see Enzo walk through the door, mirth flashing in his brown eyes when he glanced at the younger Salvatore, before looking back at the other.

"Where have you been?" Damon asked, arching an eyebrow at the faint red spot on the corner of Enzo's mouth; he was pretty sure he already knew the answer, though.

Enzo lifted one of his broad shoulders in a shrug. "I let the witches know we had what they wanted, and, while I was out, I decided to have a little fun of my own," he said casually.

Damon chuckled.

"Well, I hope you didn't leave any messes behind, because drawing attention to ourselves isn't part of the plan."

"Don't worry," Enzo replied, raising his palms in a mock defensive gesture as he came to stand in front of his former cellmate. "I cleaned up after myself. Wouldn't want to screw up the plan-not after everything it took to put this together."

By way of a response, Damon seized the front of Enzo's gray shirt, pulling him forward and pressing their lips together.

Enzo let out a soft laugh of his own before wrapping a hand around the back of Damon's neck and kissing back fiercely.

The fact that they-most likely-had an audience didn't deter them at all; if anything, it spurred Damon on even more. He wanted his brother to see this-he wanted Stefan to see just how much he had changed since coming back from the dead(again).

He gripped the short hairs at the base of Enzo's head, tugging the younger vampire closer and twining their tongues together.

"Are we just showing off to torture your brother more?" Enzo questioned lowly, the force of their kiss making him a little breathless. He didn't sound offended, though-in fact, he sounded just as amused as before.

"Maybe," Damon said, mischief dancing in his azure eyes as he nipped playfully at Enzo's bottom lip.

Enzo smiled, sucking briefly on Damon's top lip before pulling away.

"Mind if I take a turn before Jo's coven picks him up? They said they'd be here soon," he queried tilting his head at their captive with a dark gleam in his bronze orbs.

Damon waved a hand carelessly. "Go for it," he consented, bumping his bottom lip against Enzo's top one before releasing the other vampire completely.

Enzo shot him a smirk before walking past him and heading for the entrance to Stefan's cell.

* * *

~about 30 minutes ago~

"I'm guessing your plan is working?" Luke surmised as Jo walked into his dorm room with an unconcealed smile on her glossy red lips.

Jo inclined her head in an affirmative as she closed the door behind her.

"I just heard from Enzo; they have Stefan Salvatore at the staging area," she informed her companion, tucking her phone back into her jacket pocket.

"And you still think it was a good idea to have the elder Salvatore and his buddy be the ones to hold him until the spell is ready?"Luke's twin sister, Liv, quipped from her spot on his bed, folding her arms over her chest.

"Yes," Jo replied without hesitation. "They are the keys to all of this;the more rapport we establish with them the better-and giving Salvatore a chance to get a little revenge on his brother will help with that."

Liv pressed her lips together, slinging one of her jean-clad legs over the other. She couldn't really argue with that; thought that didn't stop her from trying.

"And when they find out what we've been keeping from them?"

Jo barely batted an eye at her rebuttal.

"I'll tell them when they need to know," she said flatly, before changing subjects. "Now, why don't you two make yourselves useful and go get the prisoner in place and I'll be along in a minute?"

Liv shared a brief glance with her brother before acquiescing.

"All right," she consented, uncrossing her legs and getting to her feet. "Come on, Luke."

Luke stood up as well, and the two of them vanished from the room, transporting themselves to Damon and Enzo's current location.

Jo waited until they were gone, then she opened the top drawer of Luke's desk, pulling out a slightly worn black and white photograph and tucking it into her jacket along with her phone.

She knew that not telling the two former Augustines everything about what she wanted them to do right from the beginning was probably not the safest idea-but she had a feeling that would change when Damon and Enzo found out that it was all to get them to be more than they were.

They had a greater part to play in this-and she had a feeling that they would like it.

 _This is their rise to power_

* * *

Stefan let out another agonized, shuddering scream as Enzo plunged another vervain-laced knife into his leg, making his skin burn-a sharp contrast to what Damon had done to him earlier.

 _Misery is all you deserve_

There wasn't a single ounce of pity on Enzo's olive-skinned face-only enjoyment. He'd wanted to do this to Stefan for a long time; as far as he was concerned, the older vampire deserved it for letting Damon down so many times. The only thing that had stopped him had been that, despite all those times he'd failed him, Damon had still loved Stefan-but now that had changed.

As a matter of fact, Damon was watching him, once again leaning up against the two way mirror with a capricious gleam in his unearthly azure eyes. That spurred Enzo on even morel he wanted to give Damon a good show, after all.

He started to pull out yet another knife when the door next to Damon suddenly swung inward, interrupting him.

"Well, isn't this nice," Liv commented dryly as she and her brother entered, gazes travelling over Stefan's bleeding, shaking form and the layers of frost lining the wall behind him, before turning to Enzo. "I see you two have been having some fun."

She didn't sound reproving, so Enzo didn't try to defend what they'd done. "We have," he admitted without reservation.

The blonde warlock cast a brief look over his shoulder at Damon before speaking. "Well, I'm afraid we're going to have to put an end to it; we need Stefan now," he declared.

Enzo stepped aside without argument, but, before they could grab Stefan, Damon pushed himself off the wall and moved fluidly into their path.

"What is this spell you're using him for?" he questioned, piercing the two magic-users with an intense, scrutinizing stare.

"Why don't you come and see?" Liv suggested. Not flinching as she walked around him, dislodging Stefan's chains from the wall and using her powers to levitate him out of the cell.

Luke, Damon and Enzo all follower her as she took Stefan up the stairs and down a curved, dimly lit hall before setting him down in what looked strangely like a throne room.

Jo was waiting for them there, wrapped in a forest green robe with the hood drawn up, and holding an odd disk-like object in one of her gloved hands.

She wasn't alone, either; in addition to the twins, there were two other robed figures standing on either side of her-a man and another, dark-skinned woman, both holding similar objects.

"I was hoping you two would join us," she said by way of a greeting, aquamarine eyes bright in the darkness. She nodded at Liv and Luke. "Let's begin."

The twins separated, moving away from Damon and Enzo and joining the others to form a circle around Stefan's still shivering form.

Once they were in formation, Jo and the other robed figured placed the objects they held down onto the floor in front of them-and then, the dark-skinned woman began to speak.

" _In virtute loco sacro vi_

 _quid est occultatum revelare_

 _ostende mihi faciem tuam secretum_

 _et ad gelu dimittere."_

 _no masters or kings_

 _when the ritual begins_

As she chanted, the candles illuminating the room all went out, plunging them into complete darkness. But then, an odd white blue-light appeared, its glow spreading slowly over Stefan and causing him to thrash, hoarse, pained noises erupting out of his mouth like he was being tortured again.

His skin roiled and a mysterious bubbling substance began to seep out of him and onto the floor, drawing everyone's attention to what was happening beneath him.

As the substance covered the floor, it began to change; what had previously been completely normal hardwood began to morph into crystal-coloured marble. And that wasn't all: as the glow filled the room, it revealed that a dais had risen at the far end, upon which two distinctly throne-like chairs, one black, one blue, now sat.

"The first step is now completed," Jo declared as her companion finished her incantation, sounding as if she were speaking more to herself than to anyone else, satisfaction etched into her porcelain features. She snapped her fingers, lifting Stefan, who was now unconscious again, off of the floor, then turned to address Damon and Enzo. "I'm afraid you'll have to let him go now, at least for a little while. We need him alive and back at full strength for what comes next."

Damon appeared largely indifferent. "Looks like it's my little brother's lucky day," he commented in a bored tone, lifting one of his shoulders in a shrug.

Enzo, however, was confused.

"What do you mean? What was the point of this?" he wondered, gesturing to the thrones with a frown on his olive-skinned forehead.

An enigmatic smile curved Jo's red lips.

"You'll find out soon enough," she responded evasively before waving one of her gloved hands. "Feel free to stay here as long as you want. We'll see each other again soon."

She tipped her head to them, then she and the rest of her coven disappeared-along with Stefan.

Enzo's frown deepened; he wasn't sure what he had just witnessed, but he had a feeling that it was only the beginning.


	7. Chapter 7

When Stefan regained consciousness this time, he was no longer chained up, and he was back in his neighbourhood in Savannah, lying in a heap outside the front door of his house.

He let out a sigh of relief; he didn't know why Damon and Enzo and those witches had let him go, but he was thankful. He didn't think he would have been able to handle much more of whatever they'd done to him.

Whatever Damon had done was still having an effect; he was still so cold that it took an extreme amount of effort for him to out of his position on the ground and get to his feet. It was almost like every muscle in his body had been partially frozen and he could barely stand.

Taking a deep breath, Stefan leaned heavily against his front door, fingers clenched at his side. What had happened had somehow put his accelerated healing on the fritz because there was a painful stitch in his chest; his head was pounding, all the marks of his torture were still visible on his skin, and he was still trembling from head to foot.

He gritted his teeth; he hadn't felt this cold or winded in over a century-not since he'd become a vampire. He didn't think he would ever feel so weak again-and definitely not because of something his brother had done.

He forced himself to stay upright and pushed down his anguish and pain, resisting the urge to collapse as he pulled out his keys and unlocked his house. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't just throw back a couple of blood bags and pass out; he had to tell Elena and everyone else from Mystic Falls that the old Damon-the one they'd all feared and hated-was back.

So, hands still quivering, he withdrew his cellphone from his pocket once he was inside and pressed number 2 on the speed dial before bringing the device to his ear.

"Elena," he said when the line picked up after only a few rings, voice coming out unusually hoarse and strained as he attempted to keep his teeth from continuing to chatter.

" _Stefan_?" his ex-girlfriend responded with a mix of concern and puzzlement at his stilted tone. " _What's going on? Is everything okay?_ "

The younger Salvatore's breaths were laboured, and he clutched at his frozen chest, steeling himself to stay upright long enough to finish what he had to say.

"Damon's back, Elena," he declared without further preamble, squeezing his cellphone tightly to keep himself from dropping it.

He knew how Elena would react to this news; to her, it would be a good thing. Stefan hated to disabuse her of that notion, but unfortunately, he was going to have to. She had to know that the Damon who'd come back was not the one she'd fallen in love with.

Just as he'd expected, he heard Elena give a sharp intake of breath at his words. "What? How do you know?" she queried, her concern morphing into excitement.

Stefan let out a shaky sigh as he sank down onto his couch.

"I saw him," he stated grimly; then, deciding not to let Elena get her hopes up, he delivered the bad news. "Only it wasn't the same Damon we know. He was like a completely different person, Elena; however he was brought back, it changed him. And I don't mean just personality-wise: he has these crazy ice powers now, which he used to torture me all day after he knocked me out and brought me to some crazy bunker."

There was a brief silence after that, probably because Elena was trying to process what he'd just told her. Stefan could understand that; it had happened to him, and he was still trying.

Static crackled over the line as Elena let out a deep sigh. "So, what exactly are you saying?" she asked shrewdly.

"I'm saying that he's no longer the man you fell in love with, Elena," Stefan replied, his head slumping over the back of the couch as it continued to pound. "I'm saying that he's dangerous-and that we can't trust him. If he was willing to _torture_ me, and let some witches use me for some spell, then none of us is safe. You have to warn everyone."

He knew that that was most likely not what Elena wanted to hear-but it was, unfortunately, the truth.

"Okay, I will," Elena agreed reluctantly after another short pause. "But, Stefan, what happened to him? What could have happened to make him want to hurt you?"

Stefan pressed his lips together in a thin line. "I have no idea," he replied truthfully. "But he seemed to think it was a good thing."

"What are we going to do?" Elena wondered, the worry returning to her voice, even stronger than before.

Stefan didn't have a good answer for her. He didn't want to admit that, in hindsight, he'd probably deserved what had happened. He didn't want Elena to know that he'd given up on Damon-both while he was dead and now.

"Just let Alaric and the others know, and we'll figure something out together," he said, deliberately avoiding the question. "I'll check in with you later."

He ended the call before Elena could say anything else, tossing it onto the couch before forcing himself back onto his feet and heading into his kitchen.

As he pulled a couple of blood bags out of the fridge, he found himself thinking back to Elena's question; he didn't think there was really anything anyone _could_ do about Damon. Those new abilities of his, they were like nothing Stefan had ever seen before, and he definitely didn't think he was going to be able to fight against them. He didn't think anyone could.

 _The shivers running down his spine weren't just from the cold; he was, for the first time in his life, actually afraid of his brother-and what he might do with those powers of his._

* * *

Damon trailed his fingers over the olive-coloured walls, watching intently as a trail of frost followed their path. He'd never seen anything like that before, and he couldn't believe that he was the one doing it.

It was fascinating, all the things he was able to do with these new abilities of his-and all the changes they were having in him. And he wasn't just talking physically.

He'd known what it felt like to not feel anything before, but this-this was different. This… _coldness_ seemed to only extend to certain aspects of his life, like, for instance, his brother. He didn't actually feel any hurt at knowing that Stefan had given up on him-nor did he feel any guilt for torturing him. That hadn't been about punishment or vengeance like he'd made it seem; to Damon, it had only been a means of testing out his power.

When he'd used the ice on Stefan, he'd felt… _exhilarated_. It had been like electricity running through his veins, like lightning dancing over his skin. And, now, letting the ice spread over everything around him, he felt the exact same thing. Even more so now, actually, because he knew he had an audience.

Pressing his hand flat against the wall, Damon tilted his gaze to the other side of the room where Enzo sat in one of the two throne-like chairs, watching him with an expression of unconcealed astonishment on his olive-skinned features.

"That is definitely not normal," Enzo commented, leaning forward so he could see what Damon had done to the wall more clearly.

The corners of Damon's pale mouth twitched slightly; that was the understatement of the year.

"I've never been _normal_ , Enzo," Damon drawled, saying the word _normal_ like it was an insult. He raised his hand in front of him, twisting it so the icy lines crossing over it caught the light before he added, "But I have to admit, I never expected to be anything like this."

Enzo's lips curved into a faint smile as he rose from his chair.

"Me neither," he agreed as he came to join Damon, running his fingers over the ice covering the wall behind him before looking into Damon's eyes. "Kind of makes me wonder what else the Gemini coven know about you that we don't."

Damon licked his lips; he hadn't really thought about it that way. Strangely, though, he didn't feel the burning need to go after the witches to find out what they hadn't told him. For now, this was enough.

"I'm sure if there's anything else, we'll find out sooner or later," he said calmly, taking a step forward and getting into Enzo's personal space. "After all, witches don't tend to leave things like this alone for very long-and I, for one, am quite content to wait, since I have a few things I'd like to do before they call on us again."

"Like what?" Enzo asked curiously, arching a single dark eyebrow.

Damon took another step closer, steel-blue eyes flashing cold fire beneath his coal-black lashes. "Like ask you if anyone else helped you bring me back, besides Jo?"

He eyed Enzo closely, watching as the younger vampire's expression shifted into a more sober one before he responded.

"Yes," Enzo admitted. "Your friend, Alaric, was the one who pointed me in the direction of the Gemini coven-and he helped me find your brother so I could get the blood for the ritual."

There was silence after his statement whilst Damon mulled it over; that was pretty much what he'd expected. He'd known he could count on Alaric not to let him down-but there was someone else who should have been part of his resurrection that, apparently, hadn't been.

"So, Elena wasn't involved in bringing me back, either, then," he surmised dully, knowing that, just like with Stefan, he should have been feeling a lot more pain at that news-but he didn't. All she did was ignore the fact that you were gone while secretly taking some witch drug that allowed her to hallucinate you and made her spiral out of control."

Damon was even more surprised to find that he wasn't at all bothered by what he was hearing. In fact, he didn't feel anything at all.

"Well then, I guess I should pay a visit to Whitmore and give Alaric that gift basket for helping you, then," he declared smoothly, lips curving as he turned to exit the throne room.

 _It was time for another reunion_.

* * *

 _Alaric was different: he had a legitimate reason for not being the one to directly resurrect Damon. Moreover, he'd still been searching for leads on how to bring Damon back; even if he hadn't been the one to follow them, he'd still technically been involved. He hadn't given up on Damon like Stefan had. So, he got the more courteous-and much less cold-visit._

 _Although it was still done with Damon's typical dramatic flair_.

When Alaric walked into his office at Whitmore that night to find someone sitting behind his desk, he dropped his bag, blinking furiously to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.

"Damon?" he said in a voice choked with shock, disbelief, and, for the first time in ages, pure, unadulterated joy.

The elder Salvatore grinned from his position in Alaric's chair, boots propped up on top of his desk and legs crossed at the ankles.

"Professor Saltzman," he greeted the former vampire hunter cheekily, eyes gleaming with amusement. "What, you couldn't compel yourself a PhD?"

Alaric was too ecstatic to even pretend to be offended by Damon's comment.

"When Enzo didn't say anything after he told me about the ritual, I thought it didn't work-but it did. I can't believe you're back," he declared with complete sincerity, and no small amount of relief. He'd been eagerly anticipating this day-if it ever came-and, now that it was finally here, the happiness he felt was indescribable.

Damon's grin widened as he poured himself and Alaric each a glass of bourbon from the bottle next to his feet, and then raised one, tipping it in Alaric's direction.

"I am-and thanks, I hear, in no small part to you. Enzo told me you were the one who set him on the trail of the Gemini coven," he said, taking a drink from the glass and the other one out to his friend.

Alaric took the glass Damon handed to him and sat down the other side of his desk before lifting his shoulders in a shrug. "Well, I heard they might have experience in reversing situations like yours. I would have gone to them myself, but-"

Damon held up his free hand to stop him there. "But you were busy taking care of Elena and Jeremy while trying to regain your footing in a world that you hadn't been a part of for nearly two years," he finished in an uncharacteristically understanding tone. "I get it, Ric, and I'm not angry. If you hadn't pointed Enzo toward those witches, I wouldn't be here right now. I owe you for that-and for a lot more."

Alaric sat back in his chair, taking a drink himself, before responding. "What do you mean?" he queried, raising an eyebrow.

Damon took another drink before setting his glass down and swinging his feet onto the floor.

"Well," he started carefully, tracing the rim of his glass, "When I came back, I found out that I'm not exactly what you might call a normal vampire. I have powers that other vampires don't-ad they were awakened when Enzo and the Gemini coven resurrected me."

Alaric's other eyebrow rose to join the first, and he put his drink down as well, leaning forward again. That definitely wasn't what he'd been expecting to hear.

"Powers? What powers?" he wondered, even more curious than before.

Instead of answering, Damon decided to show him by placing one of his hands flat onto the surface of the desk between them and concentrating, letting the frost spread out of his hand and over the wood.

Alaric's eyes widened in astonishment at that sight. "How are you doing that?"

"I'm not sure, actually," Damon said honestly, trailing his fingers over the vanished surface, causing more ice to bloom in their wake. "But I'm apparently the only one who can-which is probably the biggest reason why the witches wanted me back in the world of the living, or so their coven leader admitted."

"And that doesn't bother you?" Alaric quipped, noting the lack of emotion in his friend's tone.

It was Damon's turn to shrug. "Whatever their plan for these abilities of mine is, they can't force me to help them with it. But, considering what's happened so far, I don't think I'll have a problem with whatever they want next."

* * *

 _Everything falls into place_

It was all coming together.

The elder Salvatore brother was back among the living, and separated from the doppelganger; the thrones had been revealed and Damon and Enzo were doing exactly what she expected them to do. Everything was as it should be.

Jo poured herself a celebratory drink from the bottle of wine she'd pulled out of her cellar. She hadn't really thought that this would work out-or at least, not this well-but now that it was, she thought she deserved to gloat a little.

Of course, there were still a few things that had to be done before her coven's plan was complete; they still had some work to put in, but that would be taken care of. They'd been putting these pieces in place for nearly seventy-five years-they weren't going to quit now.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps and Liv's blonde head poked itself around the corner of the doorframe, an excited gleam in her eyes.

"Hey, we found what we need to wake Enzo's powers," she informed the older woman. "We're just having a little trouble unlocking it; we could use your help."

Jo's lips curved slightly, and she took a last sip of her wine before setting the glass down and walking up to the door. "Of course," she consented immediately, gesturing for Liv to lead the way.

She followed Liv out of her room, and they traipsed through the narrow, twisting hallway and the house's kitchen before coming to the nerve center of the Gemini coven's quarters.

All of their other members were there when they arrived, gathered around a square, cloth-covered table at the far end of the room, each one of them with a hand somehow in contact with the shimmering blue box on top of it.

Upon noticing the other two women's entrance, Luke turned and gave Jo a summary of the situation.

"There are some strong layers of protection around this-most likely to keep it from being used for exactly what we're trying to use it for-and I think it's going to take all of us to get through them."

Jo inclined her head in comprehension, coming to join the others around the table.

"That makes sense," she said, placing a hand on top of the box and taking a deep breath. "The coven who hid it wanted to protect the world from the combined might of Damon and Enzo's strength; that's why they concealed everything about them in the first place. Unfortunately for the world, though, we're going to have to undo all of their hard work."

A faint smile appeared on Luke's lips, and, with a brief glance at the hooded man standing next to him, he led his companions in resuming the spell they'd begun before Jo's arrival.

As she joined in on the incantation, Jo felt the magic surging up inside her, combining with the force of her fellow coven members. The spells already on the box rose up like a wall to block what they were attempting to do, but with a full contingent, they were able to really push back.

As the spell continued, the box began to quiver under their hands, and the candles lighting the room began to run low. Cracks appeared along the seam, tendrils of gray seeping out of them, and Jo was more and more able to sense what lurked inside.

Visions of what unlocking this seal would lead to swirled inside her head, filling her with false trepidation. There was darkness, and there was ice, and there was blood and death and ruin. She saw the two Salvatore brothers on opposite sides of a great divide, and the doppelganger prostrated on the ground with a gaping hole in her chest.

She knew it was supposed to be a warning, a caution against releasing Damon and Enzo on the world, but it was lost on her. This was what the Gemini coven wanted-and it was what they were going to get.

Thunder shocks raced through her fingertips as she and her companions increased the force of their spell, and she felt the layers of protection beginning to shatter at their combined might.

It took a lot of effort, but, after a matter of moments, they all felt a jolt when the last layer fell away and the lid popped open, letting out a great gust of black smoke.

The dark-skinned woman near the center of the group let out a triumphant breath as she looked over the box. "We did it," she declared with no small amount of satisfaction.

Jo opened her eyes and ran her hand over the side of the now-ajar box, smile widening at the jagged, slightly smoking gray stone she saw inside.

"You're right, Lucy-we did," she confirmed with unconcealed pleasure. She lifted her gaze and addressed the twins. "Which means the next phase of our plan must be put in play. I think it's time you two tell Mr. Salvatore what his powers will lead him and his lover to."

Sharing a glance with his sister, Luke nodded and pulled out his phone to do just that.


	8. Chapter 8

They met Liv and Luke at the Whitmore campus bar once Damon was finished talking to Alaric, neither of them exactly certain what to expect.

The twins were already at a table when they entered, sitting next to each other, deep in discussion-at least, until the two vampires came up to them.

"Is this really the best place for this?" Enzo asked by way of a greeting, casting a skeptical glance around them. "Anyone could overhear."

"Not with an anti-eavesdropping spell in place," Luke retorted smoothly, waving a hand over the small incense-burning fire near the left end of the table. "Besides, we figured you two might be here, anyways, so we thought we'd save you a trip."

Enzo slanted his gaze in Damon's direction, and, when the elder Salvatore's expression remained neutral, he seemed to accept that explanation and took a seat across from the blonde warlock, while Damon lowered himself into the chair next to him.

"So, why did you call us here?" Damon queried, draping an arm over the back of Enzo's chair.

This time, it was Liv who answered.

"We thought you might like to know the reason why the rest of our coven agreed to let Jo bring you back from the dead," the blonde witch replied truthfully. Then, she paused, eyes shifting from Damon to something over his shoulder and a sly smile curved her dark red lips.

"And that maybe you might want a chance to show your former girlfriend what she lost by not searching for you after you died," she added, tilting her chin in the direction of the front door.

Damon turned his gaze in the direction she was indicating and felt a sense of cruel amusement when he saw Elena and Caroline entering the bar.

"Well, this should be interesting," he commented lowly, upper lip curling as he leaned back and waited for Elena to notice him.

* * *

To be honest, Elena hadn't really believed Stefan when he'd said Damon was back-or that he wasn't the same person he'd been before he'd died.

That is, until she saw him for herself.

She had to do a double-take to make sure she wasn't seeing things-and she wasn't. Sitting there, in the Whitmore campus bar, with Liv and Luke across from him and Enzo next to him, was Damon.

Elena felt her heart stutter in her chest. How was this possible? She'd been there when Damon had died-she'd thought he was gone forever. Yet, there he was, nursing a glass of bourbon and chatting with companions like everything was completely normal.

"Elena?" Caroline called out to her, but she barely heard it. All she could focus on was her-no longer dead-boyfriend.

Suddenly, he caught her eyes, and, for a second, she couldn't breathe at all.

It wasn't just the shock of seeing him again, but the fact that he was looking at her like he didn't even know her. His eyes were colder and emptier than she'd ever seen them before; it was like she was looking at a complete stranger.

Before she even knew what she was doing-and before her blonde friend could stop her-she was walking toward him. She heard Caroline call out to her again, but she didn't respond because she didn't want to explain what she was thinking. She honestly had no idea.

"Hello, Elena," the elder Salvatore greeted her when she reached his table, a sneer the likes of which she hadn't seen him wear in a long time adorning his pale lips.

 _This is no longer the man you knew_

Elena's brows furrowed at his cool tone. He hadn't spoken to her like that in years-not since before he'd admitted to being in love with her. She didn't know how to react to that, but she tried to stay calm.

"Damon," she returned his greeting, willing her voice not to shake. "How are you here? I didn't think I'd ever see you again."

Damon's sneer widened. "Funny you should ask that, Elena," he commented, leaning casually back in his seat before continuing. "You see, Enzo here found the way to bring me back all on his own. And, even though he didn't tell me, the second I woke up in that church and saw that he was the only one there, I knew it was because no one else-not even the two people who claimed to love me most-was trying at all."

Elena clenched one of her hands over the edge of the table, opening her mouth to argue-but nothing came out. She didn't know what to say; she'd had no way of preparing for this.

Liv let out a quiet snicker from the other side of the table.

"I think you stunned her speechless," she quipped snidely, shooting Elena a cool glance full of unconcealed disapproval as she took a sip from her own drink.

Damon tipped his glass toward her, an icy gleam in his unearthly bright eyes.

"I'm not surprised," he said mockingly, watching Elena out of the corner of his eyes. "You heard her: she thought she'd never see me again-probably because she didn't even make an attempt to get me back on her own."

"You were dead, Damon," Elena finally snapped out of her verbal catatonia, protesting sharply. "You died, and the Other Side was destroyed, and I lost you and Bonnie. I didn't know there was any way of getting you back, so I've been dealing with it the best way that I can."

"Oh, _please_ ," Enzo interrupted her with a snort, rolling his eyes derisively before turning slightly to fix the female Gilbert with a disgusted glare. "You weren't dealing with it at all. You were just pretending to move on while secretly letting your grief drive you mad, instead of actually doing something to resolve it."

 _You didn't fight for the person who always fought for you_

Seeing the disdain on Damon's face, Elena fought to make another protest. "Damon, I-" she stuttered, struggling to form a reasonable defense, but Damon just held up a hand.

"You said you saw a future for us, but then you didn't fight for it. Now, it's gone forever." The elder Salvatore leveled a frigid stare at the woman he once thought he was going to spend eternity with. "We're done, Elena," he stated with an unnerving lack of emotion. His voice was icier than Elena had ever heard it before-and she didn't like it one bit.

Before she could say anything to change his mind, he turned and did the one thing she'd never thought she'd see him do: he grasped Enzo's chin and pulled the other vampire into a rough kiss right in front of her.

Elena felt her tears as she turned around and walked out of the bar. Damon was really done with her-and who could blame him? After everything he'd done for her, she'd left him for dead-and no matter how much she apologized, that would never be okay.

* * *

After hearing Elena leave, Damon pulled away from Enzo and returned his attention to the two witches across from them. "So, where were we?"

The corners of Luke's mouth twitched faintly, hiding a smile as he picked up where his sister had left off.

"The truth about why Jo helped resurrect you is that we've been waiting to awaken your powers for nearly a century," he explained seriously, an unreadable expression on his rugged features. "You-both of you-are a lot more than you appear to be, and the Gemini coven has been working behind the scenes for decades in order to help you realize your full potential."

While Damon's face remained studiedly blank, Enzo's forehead creased in a frown.

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" he questioned shrewdly, folding his arms across his chest.

Luke shot a sideways glance at his sister before elaborating.

"Damon isn't the only one that has abilities that bypass those of a regular vampire, Enzo; you do as well. And, when combined and used in the correct way, both of your powers are meant to lead to the Chrysalis-an old witch legend that will destroy the world as we know it."

Enzo's frown deepened as Luke spoke; he'd had a feeling that there was more to the Gemini coven's interest in Damon than Jo had let on, but this-this went beyond anything he could have imagined.

And yet, he didn't feel any anger the witches neglecting to mention all this from the beginning-nor any difficulty believing that he and Damon could really be what Luke was saying they were. After seeing what Damon could do now, he could believe pretty much anything.

 _Nothing is what it seems_

As if sensing that her brother had piqued Enzo's interest, Liv added earnestly, "This isn't just about us. If you two help us find and unlock the Chrysalis, it will make you stronger and deadlier than you could ever dream."

Enzo raised his eyebrows; that was something he was definitely on board for. "How?" he asked.

Liv pressed her lips together. "Well," she said slowly, withdrawing a slightly worn photograph from her shoulder bag and laying it down on the table so both vampires could see. "First, you have to awaken your powers using this-and then, the two of you are going to have to return to Mystic Falls."

It was Damon's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Isn't that anti-magic barrier still up? Won't that kill us?" he pointed out, allowing a hint of confusion to enter his voice.

Liv smiled and shook her head. "You're immune to it-and Enzo will be able to break it," she explained matter-of factly. Her eyes shifted to Damon. "But it will only work with both of you together."

Enzo uncrossed his arms and turned his attention onto Damon as well, wondering what he was thinking. He wanted to see where this might go, but only if Damon did, too.

Damon's alabaster features were completely impassive so it was impossible to tell what he was thinking-but he seemed to be considering what Liv and Luke had said.

 _If he was honest, he didn't really need more power; he didn't need to destroy the world as they knew it. He was quite content with things the way they were. But he could tell that Enzo wanted to pursue this-and he wanted Enzo to be happy._

Finally, after a long silence, the elder Salvatore met his gaze and lifted his shoulders in an offhand shrug.

"If you want this, then I'm with you," he declared, lips curving. "Let's see how much more havoc we can wreak with both of us have powers that no one else does."

Enzo's mouth turned up into a genuinely happy smile. He hadn't really thought Damon would go along with this-and the fact that he was willing to do so for Enzo was…amazing.

"Where do we start?" he wondered, swiveling his head back toward Liv and Luke.

At his acceptance, Luke reached around the back of his neck and unclasped the chain there, pulling a small silver key off the end and sliding it across the table.

"Take this," he instructed. "It unlocks a room on the third floor of the mansion where you've been staying. Find it, and we'll bring everything else you'll need there tomorrow at noon."

Feeling a strange sense of foreboding, Enzo took the proffered key and slipped it into his jacket pocket.

After he had done so, the twins rose from their seats. "We'll see you two tomorrow," Liv bade them farewell, inclining her head slightly before she and her brother exited the bar.

Enzo watched them as they departed, draining the rest of his drink. That meeting had given him a lot to think about-and not just with regards to this whole Chrysalis thing, but about Damon, too.

* * *

When they returned to the mansion, Enzo was still silent, still turning the situation over in his mind. He hadn't said it that first night; he hadn't told Damon how he felt about him because he hadn't wanted the other vampire to feel pressured to return the sentiment. Damon had just come back from the dead, and there was no telling what those three months in oblivion had done to his mind-or his heart.

Enzo knew Damon had still been in love with Elena when he'd died; they hadn't exactly been together, but he'd still been so clearly hung up on her, and she on him. Enzo hadn't wanted to do anything to mess that up for Damon, and he didn't want to be just a distraction or a consolation prize.

But then, Elena hadn't even tried to get him back. She'd just expected everyone else to take care of it and pretended to move while secretly spiraling out of control, thanks to some magic drug that allowed her to hallucinate Damon being there. She never even tried to see him again for real.

That had pissed Enzo off almost as much as finding out that Damon's own brother had given up on him. Damon had done everything for Elena Gilbert-and yet, when he had need her the most, she hadn't done anything for him.

That was what made Enzo kiss Damon that night. He'd wanted to just straight up tell him that he loved him-that he'd loved him for the last half-century-but he hadn't known how Damon would handle hearing that. He'd figured that, at that moment, Damon would probably respond better actions.

So, he'd kissed him-and his heart had nearly burst out of his chest when Damon not only kissed back, but pushed him onto one of the beds in the hotel room they'd been sharing and had started pulling at his clothes.

Even when they'd ended up sleeping together-and on more than one occasion-Enzo had still kept his mouth shut about Elena; he hadn't wanted to hurt Damon like that. But then, Damon had asked him, and he didn't want to lie about it, either, so he'd told him the truth.

He'd expected the elder Salvatore to be heartbroken, but the reality had actually been quite the opposite; Damon hadn't seemed to care at all. Even when Elena had interrupted their meeting tonight, Damon hadn't seemed at all angry or resentful toward her; just like when they'd captured his brother, he had defied Enzo's expectations in that regard.

And then, of course, there was what had happened after Elena had left; when Liv and Luke had told them about their powers and what they could lead to, Damon had agreed to pursue it only if Enzo wanted. He had made it Enzo's choice, like he trusted his judgement; when he'd done that Enzo knew he wasn't going to be able to stop himself any longer.

When Damon entered their room behind him and asked him why he was so quiet, Enzo just couldn't help but blurt out the three words he had been avoiding the most: " _I love you_."

To his credit, Damon didn't just laugh at him, or outright say that he didn't feel the same. At first, he just stared, as if trying to make sure that he'd heard correctly; then, after apparently realizing that Enzo had indeed said what he thought he'd said, he finally responded-and his response was even more surprising than the circumstances that had lead to Enzo's confession.

"I love you, too, Enzo," the elder Salvatore stated, a genuine smile forming on those absurdly kissable lips of his.

Enzo felt like a teenage girl at that, his heart was beating so fast. He didn't know what else to do, so he just reached out and pulled Damon into a kiss.

Damon's hands came up and caressed his cheeks as he took control, making the kiss different than all of their previous ones; there was no hint of teeth and, instead of being rough and consuming, it was slow and uncharacteristically tender.

Enzo lost himself completely in that kiss, tangling his fingers in Damon's silky raven locks and tugging him closer. He didn't know if this was just a result of the connection between their powers or because of how Elena had betrayed Damon, but he didn't care. He had Damon-and he was never letting go of him.

 _And what the Gemini coven wanted them to do just might make sure of that._

* * *

I feel like I repeated myself with that last paragraph but oh well.


	9. Chapter 9

Damon turned over, shifting the sheets so they were less tangled around his body and opening his eyes blearily.

The corners of his mouth lifted when he saw Enzo lying next to him, and the events of the previous night came rushing back: Enzo had told him he loved him, and he had said it back-and meant it.

Tucking a hand underneath his head, Damon reflected on how things had gotten to this place. Before he'd died, he'd been completely in love with Elena. She had been the one he wanted to spend all of eternity with, no questions asked, while Enzo had been his dead friend who would probably hate him forever.

But then, when he'd tried getting Enzo and Stefan out of the other side before it got destroyed, he'd wound up suffering that very fate and getting trapped in oblivion for three months. He hadn't thought there was a way for him to escape and come back, but Enzo-not Elena or Stefan-had somehow found a way.

When he got back, everything was different; _he'd_ been different. Everything he had felt and everything he _would_ have felt before he'd died had changed. He was enjoying killing people again, he didn't care that his brother hadn't tried to get him back, and he didn't feel a damn thing for Elena anymore.

Enzo, on the other hand, he did feel something for-he always had. It just wasn't until they'd slept together that first night after he'd gotten back that he was able to really figure out what it was.

He'd wanted to tell Enzo that he loved him the morning after, but he hadn't wanted it to seem like he was only saying it _because_ Enzo had been the one to bring him back-and he'd wanted to make sure that that wasn't the case, either.

So, he'd waited; and then, Enzo had told him the truth about Elena, and everything that had happened the previous night had lead to Enzo beating him to the punch. But, when Enzo said the words aloud, Damon knew that, deep down, he'd always felt the same, even before coming back from the dead; the fact that Enzo had resurrected him-and that they apparently now shared some supernatural connection-had just strengthened it.

And now, lying in this bed, miles away from home, with Enzo next to him, it was stronger than ever.

The sound of Enzo stirring interrupted his thoughts, and his smile widened as the other vampire's eyes opened to meet his own.

"Morning," Damon said in an uncharacteristically cheerful tone.

Enzo blinked, shifting his head so he could fully face Damon before returning the smile.

"Morning," he replied, accent coming out slightly thicker than normal, voice husky with sleep. He exhaled heavily and rubbed at his eyes before bringing up what was on his mind in a typically offhand fashion. "I had the craziest dream last night."

Damon chuckled softly at his deceptively casual tone. He'd known this would happen; he knew the first thing Enzo would do when he woke up was make sure that what they'd said to each other the previous night had been real.

"Oh?" he shot back in an equally conversational tone, moving closer to Enzo and propping himself up on an elbow so he was looming over him. "Did it end like this?" he asked, gripping Enzo's chin and tilting it up so their lips could meet.

He felt as well as heard Enzo moan into his mouth and his hand came up to cup the back of Damon's head, pulling the other vampire down with him as he fell back onto his pillow.

Damon went willingly, smile widening as his own hand caressed the side of Enzo's neck, sliding down to press against his nape.

"I meant what I said last night, Enz," he murmured, letting his weight rest on top of the younger and pinning him to the bed. "I love you, too-and not just because you were the one who brought me back."

Enzo let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, and leaned in, resting his forehead against Damon's. "So, you really have no problem doing what the Gemini coven wants?"

"If it's what you want, too, then absolutely," Damon answered truthfully. "Besides, I want to know what this Chrysalis thing is, too-and what other powers you have."

Enzo stretched a hand out to the bedside table and picked up the key Luke had given them.

"Maybe it's time we find out, then," he suggested, pulling away from Damon reluctantly and reaching for his clothes.

* * *

Once they were both dressed again, the two vampires ventured up tot the third floor of the mansion and began testing the key out in all the doors there.

Fortunately, there didn't happen to be all that many with keyholes on them; in fact, there were only three-and the third one, at the back of the floor, was the only one that was currently locked.

 _Third time's the charm_

Interested to find out why that was, Damon inserted the key into the slot and turned it to the right.

The instant he did, he felt a sort of shock go through his arm, and his powers spiked, turning the door to ice-and then, shattering it into nothingness.

"What the hell?" Enzo exclaimed, brows furrowing with consternation.

Damon was thinking the same thing-but, instead of voicing it, he decided to get his answer.

When he stepped inside the room, he discovered that it wasn't like any of the others he'd seen the hour. For one thing, it was circular and almost entirely fashioned out of stone so it looked like some sort of cave or something; for another, it wasn't lit by candles or electricity-in fact, there was no source of light at all.

Of course, Damon and Enzo could still see through the gloom, and they were both quite bemused by the strange sight before them.

"What is this?" Enzo wondered, frown deepening.

Damon lifted his black-clad shoulders in a shrug, eyes wandering the stone walls critically. He didn't know what to make of this any more than Enzo did.

"It looks like we just stepped into an underground tunnel or something," he observed thoughtfully, placing a hand on one of the walls.

When he touched it-and took a closer look- he realized that it wasn't even the kind of stone that one would build a house out of, but actual rock, like a real cave. That was strange, even by his standards.

"Good, you found it," Luke's familiar voice interrupted Damon's musings, and both he and Enzo turned around to find the blonde warlock, his sister, Jo, and another man Damon didn't know all standing in the entrance.

Luke advanced, carrying a shimmering blue box in his arms.

"This is the evolution nexus," he answered Enzo's earlier question as he and the others crossed to the center of the room, arranging themselves in a square formation around it. "This is where your powers are at their strongest, Damon-and where we have a direction connection to Enzo's, therefore making it the ideal place to awaken them."

As he spoke, he gestured to the other warlock in their group. "Julian will draw the calling circle, and then, as soon as the clock strikes noon, we can begin."

Julian, as Luke called him, withdrew what looked like a piece of charcoal from the pocket of his hooded jacket, then knelt down and began to scratch symbols into the rock floor.

Damon's eyes narrowed.

"So, what exactly is this going to do to Enzo?" he queried, expression giving away none of the concern he was currently feeling about this.

Luke pressed his lips together, as if he wasn't quite sure how to answer-so Julian did it for him.

"We're not exactly sure," he admitted, looking up once he'd completed his drawing. "Enzo, like you, is the only one with these powers, so this is the only time we've ever done this awakening ritual. The only thing we can say for certain is that it won't kill him."

Damon didn't find that very reassuring. A part of him wanted to stop it right now-but the rest of him knew it wasn't his decision. It was his partner's.

He lifted his gaze to Enzo to see what his feelings were about this-and saw the other vampire setting his jaw with unmitigated determination.

"I'm ready," he said, now showing even a hint of hesitation.

"So are we," Julian declared, getting back to his feet and brushing off the front of his jeans with a pointed look in the direction of his companions.

Jo lifted her wrist, gaze fixing on her watch. "Then, we can start in five, four, three, two," she counted down the seconds on her fingers, directing one at Liv when she finished. "One."

As if prompted by the clock, when the numbers turned to 12:00 pm, the box in Luke's hands began to glow.

"Time for you to take this," the blonde warlock instructed, holding it out to Enzo. "Then, step into the center of the circle and say the name of the stone inside."

Enzo raised an eyebrow at that last part.

"I don't know what this thing is called," he said in confusion, taking the box and peering inside to see what Luke was talking about.

The warlock smiled mysteriously.

"Just trust me-it'll come to you," he replied, pulling up the hood of his sweatshirt.

Taking their cue from him, the other three members did the same, and, as Enzo strode into the middle of the circle Julian had drawn on the floor, they each placed a foot on the symbols in front of them, activating the spell.

At first, Enzo didn't know what he was supposed to do next-but then, just like Luke had said, the name of the stone inside the box just came to him and he spoke it without conscious thought.

" _Sanguisugae_."

His accent came out an almost inhuman growl, and, as he pronounced the final syllable, his hand moved on its own, plunging inside the box and clamping down on the jagged stone within.

He hissed as the jagged rock cut into his skin-but the pain didn't last long. After a few seconds, it was replaced by the overwhelming sensation of falling.

Then, all of a sudden, everything just went silent-except for a single sibilant voice that filled his head so he couldn't hear anything else.

 _ **So the time has finally come: the keys to the Chrysalis are completing the steps they must to unlock the legend buried beneath the nexus.**_

 _ **Which means it's time they knew the truth**_.

Damon's forehead creased; he could hear the voice as well, and what it was saying made him feel the smallest bit of consternation-especially when its tone changed, and it began to sound as if it were speaking directly to him.

 _ **The Gemini coven have been dedicating themselves to finding the Chrysalis for centuries, and they made sure to orchestrate the circumstances necessary for you to become what they needed. Your meeting Katerina Petrova, your being turned into a vampire, you and Enzo's capture by Augustine; they were all dominoes that needed to be knocked over in order to bring you both here. They needed you to be these monsters; they needed you to want to change the world like they do**_ **."**

 _They have been pulling your strings for more than a century and a half_

Normally, Damon wouldn't have been one to believe some mysterious voice inside his head; but somehow, he knew its words to be true-and, oddly, he wasn't angry. He knew that, if that was all true, all of his problems with Augustine and Katherine were because of these witches, but he didn't regret having to go through any of it. After all, it had lead him to acquiring these incredible powers-and, more importantly, to being with Enzo, and, for the first time in his over 170 years on this Earth, true happiness. So, he was fine with it.

Enzo, on the other hand, well, it didn't look like he got much of a chance to figure out how he felt about it; once the voice ended its speech, what looked like a long black needle shot up out of the rock, plunging straight through the other vampire's hand.

Blood instantly streamed out from the fresh wound-but, instead of flowing out toward his fingers, it receded back toward the spike, covering it and turning it black.

Enzo cried out-though it sounded as if it were more from shock than pain-and his eyes widened as tendrils of black began to crawl across his hand, spreading over his wrist and up his arm.

And that wasn't the only effect it had: as the black lines covered his skin, inside, it felt like live wires were running though his veins. Every part of him suddenly felt… _electrified_ in a way he had never experienced before-not even when he'd first become a vampire.

It was so intense that it actually brought him to his knees; he would have dropped the box, too, except he couldn't let go of it-or even move his hand off that spike.

"Enzo?" Damon's concern grew when he saw his partner sink onto the floor, and he shot the witches a harsh glare. "What's happening to him?"

"The scope of his abilities must be overwhelming him; he needs something to go over there and stabilize it," Luke assessed, sounding more intrigued than truly worried. Before Damon could get mad about that, though, the warlock's cerulean eyes pierced his. "He needs you."

Damon didn't stop to question Luke's suggestion-somehow, he'd known that was coming-and just rushed into the circle, coming to kneel down by Enzo's side.

Somehow, without being told, he just instinctively knew what he had to do: he raised one of his hands and, taking a deep breath, impaled it on the spike as well.

Unlike with Enzo, when the spike plunged through Damon's palm, blood wasn't what came out of his wound: it was a bright, frigid blue substance like liquid ice, and it immediately consumed the back of Enzo's hand, covering it with a thick layer of frost.

Instead of doing more damage, though, it actually seemed to help Enzo. As the frost spread rapidly over his arm, highlighting the black lines in electric-blue, whatever had been happening inside of him seemed to settle back down, and his eyes snapped open.

"Damon," he uttered the elder Salvatore's name softly, gaze flicking back and forth between Damon's face and their joined hands, like he was just realizing what had happened.

The spike pinning their hands together finally retreated back into the rock, and, when they were able to move their hands again, Damon shifted his completely unmarred one to wrap around Enzo's wrist.

"How do you feel?" he questioned, allowing his concern for Enzo to show.

Enzo wasn't immediately forthcoming with an answer; he didn't really know how to put one into words yet. He lifted his hand, examining the tendrils of blue that were now highlighting his veins and noting that Damon's powers didn't seem to be hurting him in any way-on the contrary, they actually seemed to be making him stronger. He could feel them inside him now, almost as if they were his own.

"I can feel the ice, just like you," he declared after a long pause, a mix of shock and excitement in his voice. He met Damon's worried gaze with a reassuring smile. "It feels… _invigorating."_

"That means it worked," Jo stated, drawing the two vampires' attention back to her and her companions.

She stepped out of their formation and sidled up to them, her eyes on Damon as he and Enzo rose back onto their feet. "Well, Damon," she continued, lips curving in a mischievous smile. "Now that's done, are you ready to go home?"

* * *

just a note: this story will be going on hiatus for about two weeks cuz i have exams coming up so.


	10. Chapter 10

It was odd, seeing Mystic Falls again after four months away. The last time he'd crossed this border, it had been just before he'd driven into a massive explosion that had destroyed the Mystic Grill and killed him.

He hadn't planned on coming back here-mostly because he hadn't thought he'd ever be able to-but now, something was calling him back. Whatever the Gemini coven wanted, whatever his and Enzo's powers were meant to unlock, it was here; he could feel it.

His attention shifted as Enzo came to stand next to him, a dark gleam in his bronze eyes.

"Do you sense it, too?" he asked Damon out of the corner of his mouth, fingers brushing Damon's as his hand curled down by his side.

Damon inclined his head. "This town has been the origin of so many supernatural entities and events that I'm not surprised this Chrysalis thing is here, too. Though I am surprised that I was never able to sense it before, given my connection to it," he mused, still with his gaze fixed straight ahead.

Enzo turned to look at him, their shoulders touching as he moved a little closer-for just that purpose.

"Maybe it was just because you didn't have these powers yet," he suggested. "Or maybe it was being concealed so no one else would be able to find it until we wanted to."

Damon licked his lips thoughtfully; both were valid points, but, in truth, it didn't really matter. All that mattered was why he could sense it now and he was ready to activate it, even if that mean destroying the world as they knew it, as Luke had put it.

"Well," he said, inhaling deeply. "Whatever the reason, I know it's here now-but that doesn't really mean anything if we can't get to it." He looked over his shoulder, meeting Enzo's eyes. "You know how to break that anti-magic barrier now-let's do it."

The corners of Enzo's mouth twitched slightly.

"Well, first you have to be on the other side," he drawled, turning to fully face Damon and jerking his head in the direction of the town. "And then, we're going to need two sacrifices from within."

A single corner of Damon's mouth lifted as he stepped over the town line. "I can do that," he declared confidently.

Enzo tilted his head forward as if to say "go ahead", and Damon took off further into the town, keeping his eye out for any potential sacrifices and feeling a distinct sense of nostalgia.

It was eerily similar to when he'd first returned home five years ago; he'd been looking for people to kill, then, too-victims, tools with which to make trouble for his brother.

And, just like back then, it didn't take him very long to find one.

It was a man that was coming out of the woods surrounding the entry road-a hiker, most likely, judging by the way he was dressed. Not that it really made a difference.

Damon didn't waste time playing games, and immediately pounced on the unsuspecting hiker, wrapping an arm around his throat and yanking him backward.

The man cried out in alarm-but there was no one around to hear him-and instantly began to struggle, but, of course, Damon was too strong for him.

He was unconscious in a matter of seconds, and Damon let him fall to the ground, leaving him lying behind a tree with the intention of picking him up on the way back. That was one down-and one to go.

He returned to the edge of the border about half an hour later, dragging two bodies behind him: the male hiker, and a woman he had attacked in the alley behind where the Mystic Grill had once been, both of whom were currently comatose.

"That was fast," Enzo commented, stepping forward with an unconcealed hint of mirth in dark eyes.

Damon tossed the two bodies carelessly across the border, wiping his hands off on his pants as if he'd just touched something foul. "Well, I am quite highly motivated."

Enzo let out a soft chuckle.

"Well, in that case," he pulled the ceremonial dagger that Jo had given him out of his belt and held it out to Damon. "Care to do the honours?"

"Don't mind if I do," Damon took the knife, and, without any preamble, bent down and slashed open the hiker's throat.

Blood sprayed out across the ground like a fountain, covering the asphalt with crimson-even more so when Damon did the same thing to the woman.

When the blood spread over the town line, Enzo approached it, lowering himself onto one knee and placing his hand, palm down, into the center of it.

There was a faint squelching noise, but Enzo barely heard it. He focused on the familiar sticky warmth, on what this sensation on his skin usually meant: human blood equaled power. And now, it meant being able to absorb the power that was currently keeping him from crossing into Mystic Falls-and destroy it.

He closed his eyes and concentrated, feeling his way past the physical and down to the force behind the anti-magic barrier. He knew it was buried deep;but he also knew that he could find it.

It took some time-he had to get through a lot of Earth and layers of concealment, probably built in to prevent this very thing-but eventually, he managed to get his hands on what he was looking for.

His fingers tingled as they made contact with the magic and began to pull it out of the land and into his body, making him inhale sharply. Like when he'd imbibed some of Damon's power, this was like nothing he'd ever felt before; it put all of his senses and the powers he already had from being a vampire on overdrive and made it feel like he should be dripping fire or electricity from his fingertips.

Well, that wasn't happening, but the ground was beginning to tremble around his hands. He could feel cracks appearing in the street beneath him and knew that it was a result of what he was doing; the travelers' spell was rooted so deep that getting rid of it was bound to have some pretty devastating effects.

But that didn't mean he was going to stop.

He dug in harder, pushing himself to absorb more of the spell; the ground shook harder, and he heard what sounded like things breaking, but he wasn't deterred. He was almost finished-he could feel the spell falling away. He just needed to do one more thing.

" _Peredere_ ," the Latin word slipped from his lips without conscious instruction, his accent coming out thick and guttural, making him sound like a completely different person.

There was what sounded like an explosion behind him, and Enzo knew that was it: the last traces of the barrier drained out through his body, and it was gone.

* * *

Elena's breath stuttered in her throat as a sudden jolt went through her, causing her to double over slightly.

She grasped the edge of her desk and bit her lip. She'd never felt anything like that before, but somehow, she knew what had caused it: the anti-magic barrier around Mystic Falls had been broken.

Her heart pounded in her ears as she wondered how in the world that could have happened. The last time she'd checked, the only way for it to be broken was by killing one of the doppelgangers, and since she was obviously still alive…

Struck by a horrible thought, she jumped out of her seat and raced out of class without a word to her professor, frantically hitting the second number on her speed dial as she did so.

" _Elena_?" Stefan's voice came in through the speaker after the fourth ring, and Elena let out a sigh of relief.

"Stefan, thank God," she exclaimed, clutching at her chest.

" _Let me guess: you felt the anti-magic barrier break, too, and you thought it was because I was dead,_ " the younger Salvatore surmised knowingly, sounding just as concerned as she had been.

Elena nodded, even though she knew Stefan couldn't see her. "You felt it, too?"

" _Yeah_ ," Stefan confirmed darkly. " _And I think it might have been because of something Damon did. Those new powers of his-there's no telling what he might be using them for._ "

Elena inhaled deeply, forcing herself to think about that rationally. A week ago, she wouldn't have even thought that was a possibility-but recent events had definitely changed her perspective on what was possible.

"You were right about Damon, Stefan," she told her ex-boyfriend grimly, gnawing on her lower lip. "I saw him last night, and it was like I didn't even know him anymore; he barely even spoke to me, and he kissed _Enzo_ right in front of me."

Static crackled in her ears as Stefan let out a sigh.

" _He did the same thing while he was holding me prisoner_ ," he said, sounding as if the memory was physically painful. " _Something definitely happened while he was dead to make him turn again us-and to make him be able to break the anti-magic barrier without killing one of us. Whatever his reason for doing all this, we need to find out_."

Elena swallowed hard. As much as she didn't want that to be true, she knew Stefan was right. Whatever was going on with Damon, they couldn't just leave him alone-they had to do something about it-or at least find out what it was.

"Okay," she agreed, letting out a heavy, reluctant breath. "Caroline already knows what's happening, so I just need to talk to Alaric and then I can get going."

She heard Stefan take a deep breath as well. "I'll meet you there, then," he replied, not sounding at all happy about it, before the line went dead.

Elena pressed the "END CALL" button on her phone screen, her heart still racing as she gripped the device tightly. Everything was just happening too fast; one minute, she was grieving Damon's death, and the next he was somehow back, but acting at all like the one who'd died. She was just having a lot of trouble coming to grips with all of it.

After about a minute of stewing in her thoughts, she forced herself to move. She knew standing there wasn't going to make things any better; it wasn't going to help her understand what was happening any better. Unfortunately, there was only one way to do that: she had to go home.

* * *

Jo walked into the room, holding up her cellphone so all of its occupants could see the screen.

"They've broken the barrier-they're back in Mystic Falls," she announced with unconcealed satisfaction, her aquamarine eyes gleaming beneath her dark lashes.

Across from her, Lucy's dark-skinned features morphed into a similar expression.

"That means everything is in place; with one more sacrifice and the former hunter's help, we'll finally be able to find what we've been looking for."

"You really think Saltzman will help them? He _is_ the doppelganger's guardian, and, as you said, a former vampire hunter," Julian quipped, arching a skeptical eyebrow.

Neither Lucy nor Jo's smiles wavered.

"He's also the elder Salvatore's best friend and the man I'm currently seeing," Jo pointed out confidently. "I'm sure, between the two of us, we'll be able to convince him of the benefits of our plans-for him as well as us."

Julian's other eyebrow rose to join the first.

"So, does that mean you know the full extent of the effects that unlocking the Chrysalis will have? Because I don't remember the legends going into that much detail," he quipped, feeling a distinct sense of bemusement.

Jo, Liv and Luke all shared a brief, covert look.

" _We_ may know a bit more than we've been letting on," Luke admitted. He got up from his chair, crossing the room to where the other warlock stood and placing his hand on top of Julian's. "We wanted the rest of you to just be focused on the big picture, not all the little aspects of it."

Julian folded his arms across his chest.

"You can't really expect to keep a coven together by omitting things-especially things like this. That isn't the way to get people to trust you," he said angrily.

He tried to shake Luke's hand off, but the blonde just squeezed his harder.

"Well, if it's that important for you to know, I guess it's time I show you," he declared, pressing his thumb over the vein in Julian's wrist, before leaning in close and whispering an incantation:

" _Aperi oculos._ "

Before Julian could say a word, his vision was suddenly consumed by blackness; then, the dark was broken by lines of blue, like shards of ice.

He saw the town of Mystic Falls through the cracks-only it looked different from the last time he'd been there.

The buildings appeared older, and more dilapidated; the famous Mystic Grill was completely absent, its place taken by a curved, archaic-looking tower made out of some kind of glimmering, dark blue stone.

And that wasn't all: outside the town's border, there were even more changes. The trees in the woods were more gnarled and sinister, and frost covered the ground like a thin blue-ish blanket that stretched as far as the eye could see.

As Julian gazed upon all of this, he started to understand why Luke and his siblings might have thought keeping this from him was a good idea; he was no big fan of the world the way it currently was, but to cause an evolution of this magnitude? They probably thought he wouldn't be a big fan of that, either-and they would have been right.

 _Mystic Falls will not be the only place affected; the entire world will shift into a new state-one that empowers all those who walk in the darkness, with the elder Salvatore and his partner at the top of the food chain._

 _It will be their world-and the witches'._

Julian heard what sounded like a clap of thunder reverberate within his ears, and then he was back in the meeting room, half-slumped against the wall and looking up at Luke.

The blonde warlock touched his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Julian straightened up slowly, pressing his hand flat against the wall to help steady himself. "Was that real?" he questioned, frowning slightly.

"It's what the original legend of the Chrysalis says will happen once it's unlocked," Jo answered matter-of-factly. "It will give us a world where people like us don't have to hide anymore, where we will be the ones in charge and not slaves to humans or nature or anything else. I know you and a few of the others are rather new to this, but doesn't that sound good?"

It did, Julian had to admit-almost too good to be true. He realized that was probably another reason why Jo, Liv and Luke hadn't been totally open with the rest of the coven; they probably didn't want to hear about the newer members' reasons for thinking their dreams might not happen-or about who might try to stop them.

Well, now it hardly mattered what they thought; all that mattered was that the ones with the power to make all of it a reality knew the truth-and they were on board.

* * *

 _It had all lead up to this. Everything he had gone through as a human and as a vampire, all of the heartbreak and turmoil and suffering had been pushing him toward this point. This was where he was always supposed to end up; this was his destiny_.

Being back in the boarding house was even stranger than being back in town; at first glance, everything inside looked the same-but it didn't _feel_ that way. Especially not after all the changes he'd gone through lately.

 _Nothing remains the same_

That ritual the Gemini coven had performed had one more than awaken Enzo's powers and reveal the witches' hand in orchestrating the events that had brought him and Enzo here; it had altered him in ways he'd never considered, allowed him to see things he never had.

As he cast his gaze around at the familiar surroundings in his bedroom, he realized that this wasn't home anymore; the memories all of this evoked, the things it made him think of, they weren't him anymore. He wasn't the person he'd been the last time he'd sat in this room-that man had thought of nothing but Elena Gilbert, and had even gone so far as to suppress who he was just to make her happy.

The corners of Damon's mouth twitched as he thought about how mercurially different he was now; Elena was no longer the only one on his mind. In fact, she was no longer there at all-and he wanted to keep it that way.

Fortunately, he wasn't going to have to try very hard.

He heard the tell-tale sounds of footsteps approaching the room, but he didn't turn around; he didn't have to. The preternatural connection he had with his new partner let him know who was now standing in his doorway without doing so.

"I called Jo and told her that we brought the barrier down," Enzo informed him, his footsteps coming close and stopping right behind Damon. "What have you been doing?"

Damon wasn't immediately forthcoming with a response, running his fingers over his old bedspread and leaving a second blanket of frost in their wake as he considered.

"Just thinking," he replied, at last meeting Enzo's gaze with a faint gleam in his azure eyes and hand still on top of his mattress as he nodded towards it. "There are a lot of memories here-and I was thinking you might like to help me make some new ones."

Enzo's face heated slightly as Damon leaned in, almost touching their noses together. His lips tilted upward at the drop in Damon's tone as he made the suggestion, recognizing the double meaning there.

"Well, I suppose we _do_ have some time to kill before Jo and her friends get here," he feigned thoughtfulness, voice lowering as well as he ghosted his mouth over Damon's eyes simmering beneath his dark lashes.

Damon's eyes flashed, and he didn't waste anymore time before closing what little distance remained between them and claiming Enzo's lips.

The other vampire chuckled huskily, hands coming up to grip at the front of Damon's coat and tug him in, bringing their chests flush against one another.

Damon growled at the sudden contact, and he retaliated by sliding his own hands down to Enzo's hips and slipping his knee in between Enzo's thighs.

A low moan fell out of the other vampire's mouth, and Damon felt a rush of satisfaction at the sensation of Enzo hardening against his leg. Knowing Enzo wanted this just as much as he did, he deepened the kiss, teeth biting at Enzo's lips, making them part so he could plunge his tongue inside.

Enzo groaned again, mouth opening further to suck hard on Damon's tone while he pushed his hands under Damon's coat, dragging them down his chest and abdomen before going for his belt buckle.

It was Damon's turns to huff out a laugh when he felt Enzo undoing his jeans and tugging them down his legs-not to be outdone-but the amusement turned into even fiercer arousal when Enzo broke their kiss to sink to his knees in front of him and latch his mouth onto Damon's lower abdomen.

His eyes darkened as Enzo left open-mouthed kisses all along his stomach, lips moving steadily lower and lower.

" _Enzo_ ," he let out a strangled groan of his own when Enzo's lips suddenly wrapped around his cock, sucking even harder than they had on his tongue.

Shocks of pleasure ran through him and he had to struggle not to fall over with the force of it. He'd had this done to him by other guys before, but this was different. Enzo wasn't just any other guy, and the sight of him on his knees, sucking him off, was even more of a turn on than the act itself.

His fingers raked though the younger's short hair, nails scratching lightly at his scalp, while he watched with hooded eyes as Enzo took him even deeper. He hissed at the unexpected sensation of fangs grazing his shaft; he had no idea _that_ could feel so good.

" _Fuck,_ " he growled, hips jerking involuntarily. He didn't think he was going to last very long-especially if Enzo kept doing that thing he was doing with his tongue.

Unable to take it anymore, he tightened his grip on Enzo's hair, yanking him back up so he could slot their mouths together again.

Enzo's smirk returned as Damon slammed him up against the far wall, pulling roughly at his hair and practically devouring his mouth. His teeth sank into Enzo's bottom lips, nipping at it roughly to the point where the skin broke, filling both their mouths with the taste of iron.

Enzo's world spun as Damon's tongue came out to lap at the blood that pooled on the surface, and he pulled the elder-if possible-even closer by the front of his shirt, nearly tearing the material in the process.

Damon pressed more firmly against him, tongue slipping into Enzo's mouth again to roam the now familiar territory thoroughly, while his hands shoved at Enzo's jacket, pushing it off his shoulders.

Enzo shrugged it off, throwing it aside as it slid off the ends of his arms, before moving his hands back to Damon's hips, gripping them hard enough that he would have left bruises-if Damon was one to bruise.

Damon let out an approving hum, shedding his own coat, then momentarily breaking their kiss to pull his shirt over his head and toss it to the floor.

Enzo moved his hands up again, smoothing them over the newly bared skin, while Damon's curled around his t-shirt, ripping the fabric apart like it was nothing.

When they were both shirtless, Damon's fingers dug into Enzo's sides, stroking down before hooking in the waistband of his jeans and pushing them off-along with his boxers.

Enzo grunted as Damon broke their kiss again to turn him around, pushing his front roughly against the wall.

"Say it," he intoned harshly, hot breath rushing past Enzo's ear, voice so low and dark that Enzo hardly recognized it-but instead of alarming him, it only served to heighten his arousal further.

The other vampire tilted his head to the side. " _Make me_ ," he retorted cheekily, flicking his tongue between Damon's lips.

The words turned into another groan when he felt two of Damon's slick fingers pushing past his inner walls and entering him with no warning. He didn't protest, though, just spread his legs further to better accommodate them, shifting his hips to take them even deeper.

"Let's try that again, shall we?" Damon said in a deceptively light tone, dragging his teeth across Enzo's shoulders and twisting his fingers in a way that made Enzo's whole body jerk.

He ran his tongue over the throbbing vein at the base of Enzo's neck, biting at the skin there before repeating himself. " _Say it_."

It was only because he was perfectly fine with playing this game that he finally obeyed. " _Damon, please_ ," he panted, rocking his hips back as Damon added a third finger.

He bit his lip as Damon gave his fingers one last twist before withdrawing them and replacing them with something much bigger.

It was bliss as usual, being inside Enzo, feeling the heat of his bare skin and his ass clenching tightly around him. Damon had never felt this turned on by anyone before; he'd never craved anyone besides Enzo like this before.

Things only became more intense when he started moving, pulling out nearly all the way before slamming back in. The noises Enzo made were positively intoxicating, and Damon wanted to hear him make more.

Enzo threw his head back, and Damon took advantage of his exposed throat, fangs sinking into the offered flesh, hard enough to puncture it; at the same time, he reached around and held his wrist up to Enzo's mouth, pressing it against his fangs.

The warm gush of blood filling his mouth combined with the feeling of his own blood being pulled from his body sent his arousal to all new levels, and his thrusts turned into harsh, claiming ones.

Just when he thought it couldn't get any better, Damon found that spot inside Enzo, and Enzo saw white. He could feel himself practically dripping pre-cum, and he knew he wasn't going to be able to hold on much longer.

He keened, pulling away from Damon's wrist to breathe when Damon's other hand wrapped around his aching erection and began to pump it in time with his thrusts.

That was Enzo's breaking point; he came with a shout, calling out Damon's name as he spilled over Damon's fingers and the wall.

He clenched even harder around Damon, and the other vampire joined him less than a minute later, smearing bloody kisses over the underside of his chin and whispering his name like a prayer as he filled him to the brim.

They rode out the aftershocks together, slowly sinking to the floor as the last waves faded. Damon slumped over beside Enzo, tongue trailing over his still-bloodstained lips as he watched the other vampire come down from his post-orgasmic high.

Enzo had said that the bright side of all of this was that neither of them would have to worry about losing the other again; but, laying there, with Enzo next to him, Damon realized he'd been wrong. _This_ was the bright side- _this_ , Damon wouldn't trade for anything.

* * *

wow that was my longest chapter yet. honestly though that last scene had no point other than to pad the word count so. Hope you enjoyed the pointless denzo smut :p


	11. Chapter 11

Alaric entered the coffee shop, immediately spotting Jo at their usual table over by the window and making his way over to her.

"Hey, you're early," he greeted her with a pick on the lips before tossing his bag onto the seat across from her and sitting down. "Couldn't wait to see me, huh?"

Jo smiled at his comment.

"As a matter of fact, I couldn't," she replied truthfully, passing him the drink she'd ordered him and touching his hand. "There's something important we need to talk about."

Alaric took the drink from her, arching an eyebrow as he took a sip. "Okay," he said slowly, feeling a slight twinge of unease. "Is everything all right?"

"It concerns your friend, the one I helped bring back from the dead," Jo began carefully. She paused, inhaling deeply and weighing her words before continuing.

"There's a reason why my coven allowed me to do that, why they weren't against it like they normally would have been-and that is because Damon-and Enzo-happen to be the keys to unlocking something we have been trying to find for a very long time."

Alaric set his coffee cup down, pressing his lips together in a thin line. He wasn't sure how to feel about that. On the one hand, he wasn't happy that Jo had waited until just now to tell him this-but, on the other hand, he also wasn't really surprised that the witches had an ulterior motive for helping to bring Damon back.

He let out a tiny sigh.

"So, what is this thing you've been searching for, then?" he questioned, his other eyebrow rising to join the first.

Hearing the scepticism in his voice, Jo decided to give him the explanation that she hoped would make him more amenable to helping.

"It's called the Chrysalis-and, according to the legends, it's not a _thing_ , exactly; it's more of a…force-one that's been buried beneath our feet for ages, and has the ability to turn the world into a place that will better accommodate people like me, your friend-and you."

Alaric's eyebrows arched up higher. "What do you mean, people like me?"

Jo reached over the table and gave his hand an affectionate squeeze.

"You're special, Ric; you've been exposed to the darkest parts of the world, and you haven't run from them," the witch declared positively. "In fact, I'd even go so far as to say you've embraced them: you're best friends with a vampire, you're dating a witch, you were even once a vampire yourself. If the Chrysalis is unlocked, none of us will have to hide what we are anymore-and you and anyone else who helps make that a reality will be well rewarded, instead of persecuted like you would be now."

Alaric's forehead wrinkled in a frown as he found himself actually identifying with her words. It was true-while he'd started out abhorring vampires and things like them, that had all changed when he'd actually gotten to know a few of them. Now his best friend was one of the most dangerous-and murderous-vampires in the world, and the woman he was in love with was a witch-and he did kind of like the sound of a world where he didn't have to lie to anyone about what they were. And, of course, there was that small, selfish part of him that wanted to find out just how this reality would benefit him as well.

He pressed his palm flat against the table top, exhaling softly before posing another question. "You've told Damon and Enzo about all of this as well?"

"We brought them in a few days ago, and they've already completed the first few steps to help us find the Chrysalis," Jo confirmed with a tilt of her head. She took another sip from her own coffee, then added, "The next ones, though, require someone with _hunting_ experience, and your friends and I want that someone to be you."

The former vampire hunter knew he should probably want to think about this more-and he should probably have been more reluctant with something like this, but he wasn't. Even knowing that there were probably about a million reasons why he shouldn't, he wanted to be a part of this.

"I'll do it," he agreed after a brief pause, lifting his fingers to entwine them with Jo's. "As long as you promise to keep me informed of everything that's going on with this-and that nothing will end in you or Damon dying."

Jo's smile returned at that. "I promise," she consented, leaning over the table to give Alaric another, longer kiss, sealing the deal.

 _Another piece falls into place_

 _The puzzle gets closer to being complete_

* * *

 _It all comes to a head_

 _At the place where it all began_

It had been four months since the last time Stefan had set foot in his home town. Truth be told, he didn't think he would ever be able to return-and not just because he would have died if he had before now.

On the outside, nothing had changed-except for the Mystic Grill no longer being there-but, now that the anti-magic barrier was gone, Stefan felt something else in its place. He couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was, but it felt ancient-and infinitely more sinister than the Travelers' magic.

And Stefan was pretty sure it had something to do with his brother.

The younger Salvatore exhaled heavily, and forced himself to press on, making a beeline for Caroline's old house when his phone lip up with a text message from Elena saying that they were there.

The two female vampires were waiting for him when he arrived at his destination, both with expressions of obvious consternation on their pale faces.

"Where's Ric?" Stefan asked them, frowning when he noticed his former history teacher's absence.

Caroline spread her palms in a gesture of helplessness.

"Elena was calling and texting him all the way here, but I think he's on a date with that new girlfriend of his and probably has his phone off," she stated, tucking her thumbs into the pockets of her shorts. "But what exactly is going on? All Elena told me is that Damon's back and he tortured you and somehow managed to break the spell that was keeping us out of here. Why would he do any of that?"

"I don't know," Stefan admitted honestly, lifting one of his broad shoulders in a shrug. "Something happened to him while he was in oblivion; he has these ice powers now that are like nothing I've ever seen before, and he used them to torture me and help a group of witches perform some kind of spell on me that I think might have something to do with why he's now here and has broken the anti-magic barrier." He turned to Elena, and added, "I felt something when I first got into town, some kind of old magic, similar to what those witches used on me. Did you feel anything?"

Caroline also turned to Elena at that, curious to hear her answer.

"Yes," the female doppelganger replied, her tone extremely troubled.

She started to say something else, too, but was cut off when the ground suddenly began to shake, nearly knocking her off her feet with the force of it.

A chill went through Stefan's body and he clutched at the wall of the house, trying to stay upright while he wondered what was going on. Mystic Falls didn't have earthquakes, and besides, this didn't feel natural. This felt like it was being _caused_ , somehow.

Stefan gritted his teeth as he felt fingers of ice against his skin and realized it had to be Damon-and/or Enzo.

Whatever his brother was doing-and for whatever reason-he really needed to find out before Damon could do anything more.

* * *

The hooded figure strode down the street, head bowed low, his presence unnoticed by all the other passersby-and that was exactly the way he wanted it.

His eyes scanned the masses of people traipsing through the town of Mystic Falls, scrutinizing for the strands of magic that would lead to what he was searching for.

The other members of his coven had no idea he was here; he'd gone on ahead without them, wanting to scope out the town for himself. He'd been here before, of course, but he hadn't had much time for exploring while battling the Travelers-so that was what he was here for now.

From his current position, it looked like any other town-but Luke knew better. He'd sensed the dark power stirring beneath the ground the last time he was here. The Chrysalis was somewhere close by-he could tell that even without the two keys around.

He continued walking through the town square, keeping his senses on high alert. There were threads of power all around him, echoes of all the supernatural beings who lived and had lived here over the course of time, but he couldn't find the one to what he sought-not until he came to the most unexpected of places.

His lips quirked faintly when he found himself standing in front of the previous site of the Mystic Grill-and saw that the ground was alive, pulsating with the same sort of power that emanated off the elder Salvatore and his partner. This was the next nexus point; this was a direct conduit to the Chrysalis-this was where they had to be to finally locate it.

He stepped closer, squatting down on the charred earth and removing one of his gray gloves so he could place his bare hand on what remained of the restaurant's foundation.

The stone seemed to writhe beneath his fingers, sending tendrils of what felt like liquid nitrogen trickling over his skin, causing him to have to suppress a shiver; even with his multiple layers of clothing, the coldness emitting from there was almost too much to bear.

The sound of a throat clearing behind him made him back away, whipping around to find the source of the noise.

"I never pegged you as the rogue agent type, Luke," Julian quipped, his arms folded across his chest as he leaned against the sign pole, staring the other warlock down.

Luke relaxed visibly when he realized who it was. "You know perfectly well why I'm here with the others' knowledge, Julian; it was your idea, after all."

His companion abruptly dropped the stern act, unfolding his arms and approaching the former building site with a faint smile.

"Was I right, then?" he queried, noting the blue tracery that had appeared on Luke's ungloved hand.

Luke inclined his head in an affirmative, lifting the hand to peer at it more closely.

"I could feel the presence of the _glacies magicae_ stirring beneath the ground without any spells or help," he replied excitedly, eyes uncharacteristically bright and exultant.

 _The two keys aren't the only ones with a connection to the Chrysalis_

Julian pushed back his black hood and gripped Luke's wrist, tugging his hand toward him so he could scrutinize it for himself. The blue lines were glowing more fiercely by the second, and spreading up Luke's arm, disappearing beyond the edge of his sleeve-something that definitely hadn't happened when Julian touched the ground over the nexus point.

"I suspected you might have a link to the Chrysalis that no one else in the coven does," he observed thoughtfully, running a pensive finger over Luke's hand before moving his gaze away from it. "You're a lot more powerful than you let on, aren't you?"

Luke lifted his shoulders in an evasive shrug.

"You might say that," he said, expression giving nothing away even as he leaned in, nose almost bumping against Julian's.

Julian knew what he was doing: daring him to use his powers to find out what he wanted to know. It was a trick he'd played before, back when Julian first joined the Gemini coven, to teach him some more invasive spells.

He rose to the bait, pressing his mouth against Luke's and casting out his senses at the same time, breaking into Luke's mind to get his answer.

Luke only put up a perfunctory defense allowing Julian in after only a moment and showing him what he wanted to see: Luke's true power.

Julian's breath caught in his throat as Luke took control, and shockwaves ran through his body-a demonstration of Luke's signature magic. It was stronger and sharper than anything Julian had ever felt before-and it made his heart thunder in his ears.

 _Lucas Parker is the true leader of the Gemini Coven-he simply chooses to share the mantle with his two sisters because he thinks they deserve it, too._

Julian pulled away after only a few more seconds, his lips feeling as though they'd just been in contact with an open flame.

"Satisfied?" Luke asked softly, brushing his thumb over Julian's singed lips with a whisper of power to soothe them.

Julian exhaled sharply, backing up with a nod. He had his answer.

As they broke apart, Luke's phone buzzed in his pocket, signaling a text message.

"The others are here," he informed his partner after withdrawing the device and reading the message displayed on the screen. He turned back to Julian. "Time to find the Chrysalis."

* * *

The Gemini coven met Damon and Enzo by the former site of the Mystic Grill, Jo arriving with a surprise guest in tow,

"Ric?" Damon said with surprise when he caught sight of his friend. "What are you doing here?"

"Apparently, finding this Chrysalis thing could be good for me as well as the rest of you, so I decided to help out," Alaric replied with a slight shrug; that was putting his reasons a bit simply, but it was still the truth. He and Damon could-and probably would-discuss the full extent of his motivation at another time.

Damon made a non-committal noise at the back of his throat. Though he was a bit taken aback by Alaric's presence, he wasn't all that concerned.

Enzo raised an eyebrow. "So, what exactly are we doing here?" he wondered, scanning the charred earth around him as if he might be able to find the answer somewhere.

"We're here because this happens to be another nexus point," Luke declared as he and Julian entered the fray from the far side of the site, their faces shadowed by their dark hoods.

The blonde warlock lifted his head so he could meet Damon and Enzo's eyes before elaborating.

"Your powers should be magnified here, and, if you combine them with the _glacies magicae_ and a locator spell, they should show us all the way to the Chrysalis."

Damon and Enzo turned toward each other and a moment of silent communication passed between them. Luke was right; their powers did feel stronger here. Moreover, they could feel the direct link this place had to the Chrysalis-all they needed was a little extra force and they would be able to find it.

The younger vampire inhaled deeply.

"What are we waiting for, then?" he stated, striding toward the centre of the site with a steely look in his bronze eyes.

Jo nodded to her companions, and, taking her cue, they all spread out, forming a circle around Damon and Enzo while Alaric joined the two vampires in the center.

"Harness your connection to the Chrysalis, and it will tell you what you need to do," Jo instructed them, drawing the hood of her green coat up over her head. "Once you've gotten started, we'll join in with the locator spell."

Damon and Enzo shared another brief look before obeying, closing their eyes and concentrating.

Damon was the first to see the thread; a thin gossamer strand of what looked like icicles, tying him to what he assumed was the Chrysalis-but it was hard to tell, for it was shrouded in mist. And, when he tried to peer past it, the whole thing exploded.

Another image blossomed inside his mind, this one making him even more curious, for it was of himself. He was kneeling in the exact same spot he was standing now-but there were differences. The charred ground was covered with ice and streaked with black. The witches were there, too, arranged, not in a circle, but in a scattered formation so they were covering nearly the entire site. And Enzo-Enzo was not beside him, but kneeling in front of him, his hand entwined with Damon's on the patch of ice between them.

 _You know what you have to do_

Without conscious thought, Damon found himself moving to copy this image-and he knew Enzo was doing the same. Together, they lowered themselves to one knee, pressing their palms flat against the ground and calling their powers to the surface.

The ground beneath them trembled as ice pored out of Damon's fingertips and spread rapidly over the dirt. At the same time, Enzo's hands sprayed out blackness, making tiny motes appear on the smooth translucent surface.

As more and more ice emitted from him, Damon felt a sudden charge of energy deep in his chest, like something was calling out to him.

 _I can see you_

 _Do you see me_

He summoned more of his strength and the ice burst out of his hand like an attack, magnified by being used at the nexus point. As he did so, the voice in his head grew louder, clearer-and, as if sensing that, he heard the witches beginning to move around him and utter the first words of the locator spell, trying to hone in on the voice's location.

" _This is not all there is. This world is not meant to be dominated by the mortals. You can make it more-you and your lover can take it for yourselves and your kind."_

The thread appeared in his vision again-but this time, the mist was fainter. He could see where it lead-or at least, a fraction of it.

As if moved by some unseen force, his hand began to inch closer to Enzo's on the ground-and the closer it got, the more of what he knew to be the Chrysalis' resting place became visible.

And when they finally touched, they were able to see it all.

It was in Mystic Falls-that much Damon knew and had expected-but it was also in the last place he would have thought of.

"It's under Donovan's old house," the elder Salvatore declared aloud, opening his eyes and not bothering to conceal the bemusement he felt at that revelation.

Enzo opened his eyes as well, continuing to hold Damon's hand as she himself of the magic-induced fugue. "Donovan? You mean that human boy who used to work at that restaurant that was here?" he quipped, a faint crease appearing on his olive-skinned forehead.

His partner nodded.

"That's the one," Damon confirmed. "The single most mundane person in this entire town, and he was living on top of the Chrysalis this whole time."

"Well, that works out nicely, then," Jo commented, drawing their attention to her as she strode toward them. "If he's really that boring, then you'll have no problem killing him—for he was already meant to be the final sacrifice needed to unlock the Chrysalis."

Enzo arched an eyebrow at Damon, as if asking his opinion; he didn't have a problem killing this Donovan guy-he hardly knew him-so it was really down to Damon.

Damon's lips twisted in a cruel smile, and he got to his feet, helping Enzo rise as well, before turning to the witches and giving his answer.

"I've never needed a reason to want to kill that quarterback-but now that I have one, I don't need to pretend to feel guilty about it," he said without an ounce of hesitation or remorse.

 _Reveal your true self  
_


	12. Chapter 12

Second to last chapter!(i think). I don't think this was the best but it accomplished what I needed it to so it's okay.

* * *

The last person Matt expected to see when he got home was Damon Salvatore-but that was exactly who he found sitting on the couch facing the entrance to the living room, black-clad legs stretched out in front of him and polished leather boots propped up on the coffee table.

"Hey, Donovan," the elder Salvatore greeted him in a falsely friendly tone, a single corner of his pale mouth turned up in a half-sneer. "Did you miss me?"

Matt stopped in his tracks, skin prickling uncomfortably. Elena had told him that Damon was back from the dead-and that he was back to being his old murderous self-but Matt hadn't thought he would come after him. He hadn't even thought he would be able to get into town to do so.

 _The things we don't know can hurt us_

"Damon," Matt returned the greeting in a tone of forced calm, hoping Damon wouldn't be able to see his hands trembling at his sides. "What do you want?"

Damon leaned forward, a familiar distinctly predatory look in his blue eyes-which, Matt noticed, were glowing like nothing he had ever seen before.

"There's something I need you to do for me back at your old house, and I thought I'd ask you in person," he answered, still in that deceptively casual voice.

Matt wasn't fooled by it, though; whatever Damon was "asking" him to do, it couldn't be anything good-and he wasn't very keen on finding that out the hard way.

"And if I say no?" he retorted, clenching his jaw and preparing himself to put up a fight-however futile that might be.

Damon didn't look at all fazed by his answer; in fact, he looked almost as if he'd been expecting it.

"You haven't met my friend Enzo yet, have you?" he said, raising two of his gloved fingers and gesturing at something behind Matt. He heard the sound of rushing air and, when he turned around, he found himself staring up into the merciless black eyes of another, olive-skinned vampires.

Enzo, as Matt assumed he was, shot him a distinctly wolfish smile and added, "I'm the one who gets people to do things they don't want to do-and you're going to go back to your old house if I have to drag you there by your ankles. So, what's it gonna be?"

The former quarterback swallowed hard. His instinct was to get the hell out of there, but he knew there was no point-Damon and his friend would probably catch him in a heartbeat-so it looked like he had no choice except to do what they wanted.

"Fine," he surrendered, trying to sound as though he wasn't terrified of whatever they had planned. He steeled himself and headed back toward the front door. "Let's get it over with, then."

His back was turned so he didn't see the two vampires share a vicious smile as they fell into step behind him.

He hadn't been back to his old house since Tyler had given him his-except to grab all of his clothes and things when he was moving in-but he'd never thought he'd dread coming back.

Then again, he'd never thought he'd have two vampires forcing him to return, either.

He didn't know what to expect when he pulled out his keys and unlocked the door-but he found out he was right to be afraid. The second he crossed over the threshold, he was hurled across the room by an unearthly blast of frigid air that chilled him to the bone and made it impossible to struggle.

He cried out with a mix of pain and shock when his back collided with the far wall and his head thrashed back involuntarily. His panic grew even more when Damon blurred and appeared directly in front of him, eyes blazing cold fire.

"What the he-?" Matt started to yell, but he was cut off by a sudden agonizing cold that spread thickly throughout his insides and froze his vocal chords, rendering him unable to form words. The only thing he could do was watch as Damon removed the glove from one of his hands and pressed it hard against the base of his throat.

At first, Matt didn't understand what he was doing-but then, he felt the cold start to worsen, and, when he looked down, he saw ice blooming around Damon's hand and spreading rapidly over his neck and chest.

A bloodcurdling scream erupted out of his mouth as the sensation of the ice tearing ruthlessly through his skin overcame everything. He could feel it puncturing his arteries and freezing the blood in his veins so oxygen couldn't make it to his lungs. It made him so cold that he lost the ability to move; he could hardly even breathe.

However, he was still able to see Damon's friend approaching him as well, a sadistic smile on his thin lips as he extended one of his own gloved hands toward Matt and Matt's eyes went wide when red-black motes sprayed from his fingertips, making the ice expand even quicker and further when they made contact with it.

A violent shiver rattled the human's entire body, and he clenched his teeth against the crippling, all-consuming pain. So, this was what freezing to death felt like; of all the ways he thought he would die, this had never been one of them. Killed by a vampire, sure-but definitely not like this.

As the ice covered more of his body, slowly, but surely, he began to lose all of the feeling in his body. It became harder and harder to draw breath; his vision began to blur, and, because of what Enzo was doing, steadily became darker and darker until he could barely see.

He slumped to the ground a few seconds later, frozen in the fetal position and unable to even catch himself. The last thing he saw before his vision faded completely was Damon and Enzo standing over him without a single trace of pity.

* * *

Damon watched as frost covered Matt from head to toe, turning every inch of flesh mottled blue with cold, and found that he didn't feel a single ounce of remorse. He'd wanted to kill this _boy_ for so long; Matt Donovan was, quite honestly, the most useless person he'd ever met. It was only thanks to the protection of all of his supernatural friends that he'd survived this long. If Elena and Stefan hadn't stopped him so many times before, Damon would have drained the quarterback dry a long time ago.

There was no one to get in his way this time, though; Enzo was the only one around and they both needed Matt Donovan to die for their shared goal. His time was finally up.

Damon found himself smirking with satisfaction as the blonde human's last breath was forced from his lungs, and he crumped in on himself, looking like someone who'd gotten caught out in a bad blizzard.

Smirk widening, Damon bent down and patted Matt's corpse mockingly on the arm.

"Don't worry, _Matty_ ," he whispered into the dead man's ear in a tone of feigned reassurance. "Your death was for a good cause. You can be sure of that."

He heard Enzo chuckle as he straightened up and put his glove back on. He felt there should be something happening now-and he wasn't disappointed.

"Enzo," he said when he saw something move underneath the dead man, tone changing as he grabbed his partner's shoulder, eyes lasering in on the spot of floor there.

 _It begins_

Enzo looked in the same direction just in time to see a section of the white tile morph into what looked almost like a trap door-but there was a lock on it.

The younger vampire's forehead creased.

"Why isn't it open?" he wondered with unconcealed consternation. "I thought killing this bloke was the last seal."

Damon poked his tone into his cheek. He didn't have an answer.

But something else did.

 _There is still one last thing you need to do_

That voice, the same voice from their visions, the one they'd heard during the rituals to awaken Enzo's powers and locate the Chrysalis, suddenly filled both of their heads, blocking out all other sounds.

 _You need the male doppelganger_

 _Luckily, he is coming to you._

* * *

Stefan was inside the Forbes' residence with the blonde vampire and Elena, discussing what their first move in finding out what Damon was up to, when, all of a sudden, a deep rumbling voice came unbidden into his mind, blocking out the two women.

 _If you want to know what your brother is doing, go to the Donovans' house-and go alone_.

Another frown line appeared on his already extremely overcrowded forehead, and a shiver went down his spine. Something strange was definitely going on with him; first, he'd felt that shift in the air when he'd returned to town, and now he was hearing voices.

His first thought was that both those things must have something to do with his being a doppelganger-but, when he looked at Elena, she didn't appear to be sharing in this phenomena like she had the last one. So, perhaps they were actually two separate things, he posited-assuming that that voice had been real and not just a hallucination or a hoax.

Whatever the case, he needed to know what was going on.

Deciding to take a chance, he took a sharp breath and got to his feet, causing Caroline and Elena to cut off.

"I'm going to go back to the boarding house," Stefan lied, tucking a hand into his jacket pocket. "Maybe Damon will be there, and I can somehow get him to reveal why he's doing all of this."

 _Only you_

Neither of the other two vampires seemed to suspect that he wasn't telling them the truth because they let him go without a fuss. "Okay," Elena said, nodding her agreement with his plan. "That could work. But be careful, Stefan."

"I will," Stefan assured her, deliberately not mentioning that it probably wouldn't matter if he was careful or not; if Damon wanted to hurt him, he would, and there was nothing anyone would be able to do about it.

With that sobering thought, he turned and exited the Forbes' residence, starting to make his way toward the Donovans'.

Dreading what he might find-but knowing he needed to get there sooner than later, he drove faster than he normally would. He probably broke a few speed limits on the way, but he got there in record time.

When he arrived, he could see right away that there was something off. For one thing, the front door was wide open-and, for another, the entirety of what Stefan could see of the inside of the house was blanketed in frost and shadows.

He sped out of his car without stopping to think-or properly close his doors-hurtling into the house with his heart pounding in his ears.

 _Enter your grave_

Well, the voice turned out to be right. Damon was there-but he wasn't alone. Enzo was by his side, and lying at his feet was a frozen-and clearly dead-Matt Donovan.

"Welcome, brother," Damon greeted him brightly as Stefan's eyes widened. "We've been waiting for you."

"What did you do?" Stefan demanded instead of responding, running over to the human's corpse and examining it with a horrified expression.

Enzo and Damon shared a look behind him, and Enzo rolled his eyes expressively.

"We made a necessary sacrifice," the British vampire stated bluntly, his voice characteristically unrepentant. "You'll be thanking us when we finish what we're doing and the world no longer looks at us as something to hate and kill."

Stefan's (pretty much permanent) frown deepened with confusion.

"What are you talking about? What are you trying to do?" he questioned, eyes shifting over to Enzo.

Damon stepped forward, waving his gloved hand in a dismissive gesture.

"It doesn't matter," the elder Salvatore declared. "Because you hate what you are, and wouldn't go along with it, as usual." He paused-then suddenly, he was right in front of Stefan, hand closing around his throat, lifting him off his feet and slamming back against the frozen wall.

"You know, somehow it seems like we always end up back here: me on one side of a fight, and you on the other," he mused conversationally, as if Stefan wasn't currently struggling for breath in his clutches.

He leaned in close, steel-blue eyes like shards of ice beneath his thick ebony lashes and breath creating icicles on his brother's lips as he continued.

"This time, Stef, you're on the wrong side," he intoned, voice dropping to barely above a whisper as his upper lip curled with disdain. "You remember what I did to you back in that bunker? Get in my way again, and I'll make that look like child's play. I'm not fucking around anymore, brother; any protectiveness I felt toward you evaporated the second I found out you gave up on me-so, I suggest you back off-because if I don't kill you, someone else will. And they won't be nearly as merciful as me."

With that, he yanked his hand back, dropping Stefan gracelessly onto the floor.

Stefan crumpled pitifully at his feet, grasping at his throat and coughing hard as ice continued to crawl up his neck, freezing the air in his windpipe. Black spots danced before his eyes as he tried-but failed-desperately to get oxygen back into his lungs.

Damon took a step toward him again with deliberate slowness, like a predator advancing on his prey. Stefan saw him raise his hand like a dagger, and, before he could move, his nails cut across Stefan's throat, knocking him out completely.

* * *

At the same time that Stefan fell unconscious, as his head hit the floor, the lock on the trap door shattered, and the door flew open, revealing a cavern-like passageway that seemed to be lined with some kind of phosphorescence.

 _A doorway to another world_

Damon stepped away from his brother, eyes widening fractionally at that sight. He didn't know what he'd expected to see, but it definitely hadn't been that.

On the other side of the room, Enzo let out an impressed whistle.

"Now there's something you don't see every day," he commented, sounding both wary and excited at the same time. He looked over at Damon, arching one of his dark eyebrows. "I guess we're going down there?"

Damon took a slow, measured breath, inching closer to the door so that he could peer further into the tunnel.

He could see the thread again, and this time it was pulsating, as if to let him know that they were closer than ever before. This was it: the resting place of the Chrysalis.

"I do believe we are," he replied truthfully. He looked back over his shoulder to meet Enzo's gaze, holding out one of his gloved hands and adding in a reassuring tone, "Together, like we've been doing all of this."

The statement made Enzo smile, and he strode up to the trap door, taking Damon's hand and allowing himself to be lead. Knowing that he had Damon with him for all of this-that Damon was only _doing_ all of this because it was what he'd wanted-lessened his fear greatly. Whatever they found, they were in this together.

 _The way it should be_

"Lead the way," he said to his partner, inclining his head.

Damon gave his hand a light squeeze, then, gripping it tight, he leaped down into the cavern in a single fluid motion, taking Enzo with him.


	13. Chapter 13

Luke was the first out of the entire motley group to feel the disturbance-and he knew instinctively what it meant.

"They've found the door-and gone through it," he told the others, not bothering to keep the excitement out of his voice. The moment was getting nearer; he and his siblings knew better than anyone how big of a deal this was.

On his left, Jo smiled at his announcement as, slowly but surely, she began to feel it, too. In her mind's eye, she saw the elder Salvatore and his partner descending into the Chrysalis' resting place after making the final sacrifice and the Chrysalis guiding them toward their destiny. An immense sense of satisfaction filled her: all the pieces had finally come together just as they were supposed to. All that was left was the unlocking.

"That means it's time," Jo stated, letting out a soundless breath. She turned her gaze to Alaric. "This is your part, Ric; Damon and Enzo will awaken the Chrysalis, but you need to get them started."

Alaric met her piercing stare, a slight crease forming on his forehead-but he didn't decline to help-instead, he just took a deep breath and asked, "What do I have to do?"

The three Parker siblings all shared a brief, meaningful glance before the eldest explained.

"You have to hunt down a creature of the night. It can be any kind-vampire, werewolf, witch-but you have to get them here before nightfall, or at least some of their blood."

Alaric raised one of his sand-coloured eyebrows. That wasn't at all what he'd been expecting.

"That should be easy enough," he said confidently, and without a single trace of hesitation. "I happen to know where a couple of vampires are right now-and I happen to carry the means of subduing them around with me at all times."

Jo's smile widened, both at his words and at the complete lack of reluctance with which he spoke them. She'd been concerned that Alaric's humanity would make him object to his task; she'd never been so glad to be proven wrong. "Excellent."

Without waiting for any more encouragement, Alaric tossed her an answering smile, then departed, heading in the direction of Caroline's house-where he knew she and Elena currently were.

He felt like he probably shouldn't be so willing to do this-most of the supernatural creatures in this town were, after all, people he knew and cared about-but, for some reason, he just didn't feel like it mattered at that moment. Damon, Enzo and the members of the Gemini coven were, it went without saying, off-limits, but Caroline, Elena, Stefan-he didn't feel at all opposed to going after any one of them. In fact, they were the first candidates he thought of.

It didn't occur to him at all that there might be something wrong with that; he barely gave it a second thought.

 _no turning back_

It did take him a little while to reach the Forbes' on foot, but, fortunately, it was early in the day, so Alaric didn't have to worry too much about the time crunch.

He just had to worry about how he was going to get one of the female vampires' blood back to the nexus.

Deciding to cross that bridge when he actually had the blood, Alaric composed his features into what he hoped was an appropriate expression for the circumstances and knocked on the front door.

He saw Caroline come out of the living room through the glass, Elena trailing behind her, obviously also wanting to know who was there. Both their gazes widened when they saw Ric, and Elena raced ahead of her friend, wrenching open the door and throwing her arms around him.

"Ric! Where have you been? We've been calling and texting you for hours!" the female doppelganger exclaimed, sounding equal parts relieved and annoyed at finding out that he was okay.

Alaric's lips twitched slightly at her emotional tone, and he gave her an apologetic pat on the back. "Sorry, Elena. I was with Jo and had my phone off. I just got all of your messages."

"That's what I thought," Caroline pointed out from behind them, leaning against the wall and putting a hand on her hip. "Did you hear the part about Damon?"

Alaric nodded as Elena finally released him.

"Yeah, you said that he came back and he tortured Stefan?" the history professor said, shaking his head in feigned incredulity, as if he didn't already know all of that firsthand. "I can't believe that Damon would really do that."

"Well, believe it," Elena piped up seriously, tone becoming much direr. "I saw him myself a couple of days ago and, not only did he dump me, but he acted like I was nothing to him anymore. IF he could do that, then he would definitely torture Stefan. And, apparently, that wasn't all he did; he also let some witches put a spell on Stefan and somehow managed to break the spell that was keeping us all out of Mystic Falls without killing either of us. So, there's that, too."

Alaric did his best to pretend like this was all new information to him-and to keep Elena and Caroline from noticing as he withdrew a couple of vervain darts from the pouch he had sewn inside his jacket. Apparently, he was successful because they didn't seem to suspect a thing.

"Well," he said in a suitably concerned tone. "Why would he do all of that? What do you think is going on?"

Elena lifted her shoulders in a clueless shrug.

"I have no idea. Stefan went to the boarding house to see if Damon was there to try and get him to reveal what he's planning, but it's been quite a while and we haven't heard from him." She cast a glance back over at Caroline, then added, "I'm starting to think maybe we should go and check on him."

"Oh, I don't think you need to do that," Alaric interjected abruptly, stepping forward and raising the darts behind his back. "You see, there's something else I need you for."

When the two women looked toward him, he whipped out the darts and launched them at his students, being sure to use extra force so that they would penetrate the skin.

Against all odds, he was able to hit both vampires in the neck, and the vervain was almost instantly discharged into their systems, knocking them out so they collapsed to the floor.

They weren't going to be out long, Alaric knew, so he hastened to complete his task before they woke up and figured out he was no longer on their side.

He'd come to that bridge; he needed something to either get Caroline's entire body-or at least her blood-back to where the witches were waiting soon. Since he didn't really fancy dragging her unconscious body around town, obviously the blood would be easier and faster, so he went into the kitchen to find a jar or something to put it in.

Luckily, the kitchen seemed to have an abundance of containers, so he was able to locate an empty bottle within a matter of seconds.

He took it out of the cupboard and headed back into the entrance hall, where he knelt down next to the blonde vampire while simultaneously twisting the cover off the plastic bottle.

Once it was open, Alaric set it down on the floor and lifted Caroline's arm so her wrist was directly above it. Then, he detached the swiss army knife that was hooked to his belt, flicking it out and using it to sever the vein in Caroline's wrist.

Crimson fluid streamed thickly from the fresh wound-even as the skin instantly began to knit itself back together-and Alaric repositioned the limb so that it dripped into the bottle.

Jo hadn't specified how much blood he needed, but somehow, he just knew, and he waited until the bottle was nearly half full before releasing Caroline's arm and putting the bottle's cap back on.

Tucking it into the side of his jacket, Alaric got back to his feet and turned to leave.

"Sorry, girls," he said in a low, uncharacteristically cold tone, casting one final look at his students before walking out the door. "This had to be done. You'll understand when this is finished."

He didn't know where the words came from, but he liked the sound of them-even if they probably wouldn't turn out to be entirely true.

And, with that, he walked back out of the house, sending a text to Jo as he did so, letting her know that he'd done what she told him to.

She didn't respond, though-not until he returned to where she and the rest of her coven were still standing.

"So, what now?" Alaric asked, drawing her attention as he came to stand in his previous position.

At the sound of his voice, the dark-haired woman's eyes brightened.

"You did that much quicker than I expected," she commented admiringly; then, she paused before actually answering his question. "Now, you, Julian, and Luke use that blood to help your friends complete the final step."

Luke threw back his hood and stepped out of their formation to move closer to Alaric.

"Now, I get a chance to show off my full power," he added excitedly, tugging off his gloves and rubbing his hands together before beckoning Julian and the hunter to join him.

The other warlock removed his hood as well as he came to stand beside his partner. Drawing a bronze switchblade, he turned to face the human.

"We need your blood in the same container as the vampire's," he said, holding out his free hand pointedly.

Alaric withdrew the plastic bottle from inside his jacket, unscrewing the lid before giving it to Julian, along with his own hand.

 _Bloods of the hunter and the hunted_

Julian held open bottle beneath Alaric's hand, then cut his palm, tilting it to the side so his blood joined Caroline's inside the plastic receptacle.

Luke took it from him once it was full, holding it in both hands and shaking it slightly so that the bloods would mix. As they did so, he closed his eyes and gradually began to tip it over, whispering in a language that no one but he could understand.

Alaric could see that that surprised his fellow coven members; apparently, they hadn't expected him to do that.

When the blood touched the ground, instead of just splattering everywhere, it formed a single crimson tendril that slithered over the charred earth like a snake, twisting into a sort of curved, multifaceted symbol.

Luke's chanting suddenly got louder, and his eyes snapped open, and they-as well as the symbol on the ground-lit up with an unearthly glow, like the sun reflecting off a sheet of ice. Then, he dropped the bottle, and the plastic exploded, the shards freezing in midair, stained red and-strangely-white.

" _Rivlare,_ " Luke uttered a final word, and the entire expanse of ground that had once held the Mystic Grill gave way beneath them, allowing something else to rise in its place.

It was a tower, carved out of onyx with a twisted spire at the top and icy-blue lines crisscrossing all over the base. Right then, it looked out of place among all the other buildings in the town-but it wouldn't for very long.

 _The mark of the new world_

The blonde warlock waved his hand, and the suspended shards of plastic merged into what looked oddly like a staff-a staff with a glowing black and blue gem in the center.

"That tower is the first thing that is needed to unlock the Chrysalis," Jo explained for Alaric's benefit, taking the staff and gesturing with it toward Damon and Enzo's current location. "This will help reveal the rest-but it will be up to Damon and Enzo to figure out what that is and how to get it done."

 _The next step is disaster_

* * *

Darkness.

At first, that was all the two vampires could see when they dropped through the trap door; but then, as their night vision abilities slowly kicked in, they were gradually able to make out more of their current location.

They were in some sort of narrow cavern, deep beneath Matt Donovan's house-deeper than even the basement-and clearly underground. The rock walls and floor were lined with stalagmites, and carved into them were all sorts of convoluted designs, like words or characters of an ancient language or something.

 _This is where it's all been leading_

 _This is the Chrysalis_

Damon cast a critical eye around at their surroundings, his free hand retreating into the pocket of his coat. Though this place appeared to be empty at first glance, he could sense that that was just an illusion. The thread was more visible here, meaning that the Chrysalis had to be close. He could feel it stirring nearby, and it felt almost…primordial.

"Damon," Enzo's accented voice interrupted his musing, sounding-as it had before they'd entered the cavern-equal parts wary and excited. His expression was barely visible in the darkness, but Damon could sense what he was feeling through their connection. "Do you feel that, too?"

Damon inclined his head, even though he knew Enzo could probably sense his answer as well.

"There's something alive down here-and I'm betting it's the Chrysalis," he stated aloud, bottom lip catching between his teeth.

Similarly, Enzo's tongue came out to wet his lips as he peered further down the unlit passageway, trying to make out what lay ahead. "I can hear it calling out to us, I think; it wants us to find it so it can be set free," he paused, placing a hand one of the walls, then beginning to walk deeper into the shadows. "And I think I know where it is."

The elder Salvatore's forehead creased slightly at that declaration, but he followed his partner, anyways, trusting that he knew what he was doing.

Enzo lead them through the icicle-lined tunnel, the transit widening more the further they went, until it opened into a circular chamber, where the walls were carved entirely out of ice.

In the center of the chamber was a marble cradle, filled with a pulsating, iridescent white-blue light that was so powerful, it seemed to be making the whole room tremble-almost like it was a living thing.

The second Damon and Enzo laid eyes on that light, they knew without a doubt that it was what they were searching for; the thread they had been following ended there, and they could both hear that voice-the one that had been leading them all this time-emitting from within.

Enzo exhaled sharply, feeling his heart race as the effects of being this close to a force of this magnitude for the first time hit him like a bolt of lightning. "It feels like it's magnifying all of my powers, like all of them-vampiric and not-are being supercharged by something."

He didn't have to ask if Damon felt the same way. He knew he did.

"This is the source of our powers," Damon declared in a hushed voice, releasing Enzo's hand so that he could move closer, eyes wide with unconcealed awe. He reached out, inching his fingers toward the center of the cradle, wanting to know what it would feel like to touch it.

He let out an involuntary gasp when his hand made contact, and his vision suddenly exploded into a myriad of lights and colours. He saw the world expand around him into shapes and textures and their individual lines. He saw every molecule that made up the walls of ice that formed the chamber and the marble surrounding the Chrysalis. He saw things he'd never seen before, even when he'd first become a vampire. It was, in a word, intense.

And, as he delved deeper, he found the answer to the final question: how to unlock the Chrysalis and change the world forever.

"Enzo," he called to his partner, beckoning him with his free hand. "You need to siphon off some of my powers like you did when yours were first awakened, and then you need to transfer them into the Chrysalis. That is how we unlock it."

Under other circumstances, Enzo would have thought that Damon had lost his mind or something, but, at that moment, knowing what Damon was seeing and hearing the Chrysalis' voice in his head, he knew that Damon was right. That was indeed what he had to do.

He stepped away from the wall, joining Damon in front of the Chrysalis' cradle ad laying a hand on his partner's arm. Inhaling deeply, he concentrated his powers on drawing out Damon's, placing his other hand in the center of the cradle to act as a conduit.

He saw sparks of electricity crackle around his fingertips as his ability activated, and he felt the surge of ice in his hand as Damon's power began to seep into his body. It was a shock to his system-but not a bad one-and it only lasted a second as the cold traveled through him into the Chrysalis.

A layer of frost began to creep over the marble, then, encasing it-and its contents-bit by bit as more ice poured out of Enzo's hand.

 _This is your destiny_

When the Chrysalis was completely covered by frost, a wave of blue light suddenly burst out of it, washing over everything they could see-and everything they couldn't.

The walls of the cavern shook, and Damon and Enzo were pulled into the depths of the Chrysalis' power, their minds becoming consumed by visions of all of the changes that were being wrought by their actions.

 _The house above them crumbled to dust, as did other buildings in other towns in other cities. Blackness filled the skies, and the sun grew dark-not totally, but enough that there wouldn't be much heat to look forward to ever again._

 _In the ruins of the Donovans' residence-and the Forbes'-the two doppelgangers awoke to see the shadows and ice overtaking every inch of their surroundings and they were simultaneously awed and horrified at the display. Their hometown was being destroyed and restricted before their very eyes-and there was nothing they could do to stop it._

 _Outside Mystic Falls, other witches and vampires and werewolves felt the shift and knew that they no longer had to feign being human. They were the ones in control now, and they never had to act like they weren't again._

 _The Gemini coven, and Alaric felt it as well, and they knew their goal had been accomplished._

 _Of course, not everything changed all at once-there was centuries of human privilege and construction to destroy-but it would happen, make no mistake._

The two vampires jolted back into reality abruptly, eyes flying open as they pulled back their hands and locked gazes.

"Wow, that was-that was amazing. We actually did it." Enzo exclaimed, voice slightly breathless with exhilaration. His lips curved into a smile as the after-images of what they had just seen danced inside his head, and he exhaled sharply. "What happens now?"

Damon chuckled quietly. "Amazing" was an understatement for what had just happened.

"I suppose whatever we want," He paused, pondering a moment before adding with a grin of his own, "How do you feel about finally taking that trip to Cape Horn?"

By way of a response, Enzo turned toward Damon and pulled him into a fierce, triumphant kiss. He couldn't believe they'd really done this-or that Damon had stuck by his side through all of it. He'd never imagined that he'd be lucky enough to get Damon to choose him over Elena; but not only had he done that, but now, because of Stefan's own failings, they no longer had to worry about him, either.

And now, they'd made an entirely new world where they didn't have to hide where they were, and could do what they wanted-and they had the rest of eternity to explore it all together.

* * *

and that is LE END. Kind of a rushed conclusion I suppose, but I couldn't think of how to make it less so. Thanks to everyone who read/followed/reviewed. Hope you all enjoyed.


End file.
